Customer Reviews

The House With the Blind Glass Windows

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wassmo's spare and lyric prose is a joy to read. In unabashed language she tells the story of Tora, a young girl growing up on a remote Norwegian island a decade after World War II. The illegitimate daughter of a German soldier, Tora lives in a poor household with her drudging mother and a brutal step-father who subjects her to repeated sexual abuse. Fiercely silent, Tora deals with her ordeal alone, groping blindly for safety and an understanding of her predicament--and, at last, she becomes strong enough to overcome it. Her tale is set in the context of life in a small island village where the economy is based on fishing and small everyday dramas constantly unfold. This is the first volume in a trilogy about Tora; unfortunately, the other books in the series seem not to be available yet in English translation. I, for one, having also read "Dina's Book" with immense admiration for the author's talent and skill, will be waiting impatiently for them. Wassmo is a splendid writer and "The House with the Blind Glass Windows" is an excellent way to make her acquaintance.

I bought the trilogy as 3 books in one. And that is how you should read them, as 1 book. The 3 books are the 3 main chapters in the life of the main character, Tora.
There is so much pain in the book(s), so much suffering and loneliness your heart will sometimes break, but together with the maincharacter you will fight back, still too many pages to go/read, you can't give up, you have to go on and hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
So I suggest if you decide to read the story of Tora,( how she fights back, being a bastard child of a german soldier and norwegian islander, how she tries to connect with her mother, how she tries to avoid her stepfather of coming in her room at night, how she copes with an unwanted pregnancy, ... ) you buy the 3 books or the omnibus ... because when you start reading about Tora, you won't be able to let her go. You'll become her, and she'll become you.

When I read this boook for the first time, I was really blown away by how good it was, and I give it a definite five stars, and strongly reccomend 'The House With the Blind Glass Windows' for any young girl who has known lonliness and hurt herself, just like Tora. There's some real strength to be found in this book, and I can't wait to read the other two in the trilogy. Kuudos to Herbjorg Wassomo!

As I began this book, I developed great expectations: the choice of detail painted the characters and setting exquisitely. The pace of the novel fit perfectly. Then I hit the jumble - the organized religion leads to hysteria in women, the strong aunt pays herself for her household duties, the males cause war (or are weak requiring women to prop them up), the lot of woman is bleak, the deaf-mute provides refuge, the "old Jew" provides recognition of one's social role ... all the (stereotypical)feminist complaints are introduced in quick order. In this rush to stuff everything in, the development of the young Tora becomes unbelievable. The narrative becomes didactic.

However, the core of the narrative, a young sexual-abused outsider finding understanding of her "place" in her society and refusing to accept that place as fair, right, etc. is believable and thought-provoking. As reader, I am interested in following Tora's story in subsequent volumes and in reading other works by Wassmo hoping the plot-muddle is a one-time flaw.