The Glass Demon

Last year I had the opportunity to interview British author Helen Grant, who is now living in Belgium’s quaint Tervuren, about her debut novel The Vanishing of Katharina Linden which has earned her a nomination for the prestigious Carnegie Medal and has now also been translated into Dutch as De Verdwenen Meisjes. It’s a mesmerizing YA whodunit that revolves around Pia, an inquisitive and brave young girl who decides to investigate the multiple disappearances of other girls is the quiet and rural German town of Bad Münstereifel where Helen and her family actually lived for several years.

Her new novel The Glass Demon is also filled with a brooding Grimm-like atmosphere, spooky occurrences and wonderful characters just like its predecessor. This time, teenage Lin and her family move to Germany so her father, who is a Medievalist academic, can do some research on the Allerheiligen glass window which has been missing for centuries. As legend goes, it is haunted by an evil spirit called Bonschariant. When they arrive however, nothing is what it seems. Lin and her family are plagued by mysterious deaths, all recreations of old bible stories and broken glass is left at every scene. Someone or something is desperately trying to get rid of Lin's family and trying to protect the glass window.

The Glass Demon is a great old fashioned ghost story / supernatural thriller with a warm pounding heart at its core. The story is filled with clever twists, scary nerve-wrecking scenes and effortlessly glides towards a satisfying and heart-stopping conclusion. Helen is a master of suspense, suggestion and dramatic scenery. Every chapter ends with a staggering cliffhanger making you devour this book in no time. The combination of contemporary family issues and age old folklore works rather well, adding some more spice to this already fragrant mix.

As characters go, I really loved Lin. She was a realistic and gutsy protagonist not some infuriating damsel in distress. She truly carries this story with bravery and grace and is assisted by a colorful cast of side characters on her quest towards the nature of evil.

Beautiful prose combined with a fairytale-like setting, mix in some sinister and sensational characters and top off with gruesome ghouls and you’ve got a recipe for success that just happens to be entitled The Glass Demon. Well done Helen!