Glass House by Ariana Overton

The main character of “Glass House“, by Ariana Overton, is James, who is respectfully named “uncle” by the aboriginal people he was brought up by after his parents’ deaths. James is caught up in a quest that only he can fulfill, but he cannot do it alone. With the Vice Chancellor of the university doing everything in his power to discredit James’ investigations, the media and military both looking for a piece of the action, he needs all the help he can get. The elder charges James with the task of finding out what the stones mean. He falls into an unlikely alliance with two members of the tribe, Ratana and Nathan, an American journalist called Ms. Louis and her cameraman. James finds himself trying to conceal his increasing affections for Ms. Louis while the situation the party finds itself in becomes more dangerous and unexplainable at every turn.

“Glass House” is narrated in the third person perspective, mainly from the point of view of the central character James. It does focus upon the views of the other characters, following their thought processes and actions when it is natural to do so. Overton has chosen to convey the world and the experiences of the small party of misfits within it by describing the situations as the characters see it, allowing the readers to often make their own assumptions from what they see and hear. This gives the readers a variety of choices about whose viewpoint they agree with most, although there is naturally a bias towards the “good guys“.

Overton’s “Glass House” is an entertaining story with both moral undertones and historical insight into the supernatural myths and legends of the world. The themes and facts covered within this tale have been thoroughly researched and documented for the readers to find out more for themselves. There are a few typographical errors but they do not distract from the understanding or enjoyment of the story. This book involves characters from Australia, America and England and although it does have some stereotypical features, it creates a slightly comical characterization of the nationalities of the main personalities, which is almost certainly intended.

Buy this book: Glass House