The Glass Key by Amanda Geard

[ About The Glass Key ]

In Ireland, Maggie has grown up hearing her mother tell her the bedtime story of The Glass Key. It’s a Nordic fairytale passed down by Maggie’s grandmother Anna Swan, who mysteriously left her home one stormy night years ago, never to return. Now Maggie’s grandfather has died and going through his things, Maggie is shocked to discover a faded wartime letter, asking him to take in a baby. In that moment she realises that Anna Swan was a woman of many secrets.

Only by travelling to Norway and discovering the story of four brave young women whose lives were forever changed by the occupation of their tiny islands, can Maggie uncover the shocking truth about her family – and finally unlock the mystery of the glass key…

[ My Review ]

The Glass Key by Amanda Geard published with Hachette Ireland June 18th and is described as ‘breathtaking, as epic as the landscape it so vividly describes.’

Set between Kerry and Norway, this latest novel from Geard is very much inspired by these two locations that she knows only too well. In 2011, at the age of 29, Geard, and her husband, purchased a Norwegian Arctic island near the coastal town of Bodø . As she said herself, it felt like stepping back in time and she knew someday that she would write a book about it. As a geologist, her career took her across the globe and she eventually settled in Co. Kerry, which she now calls home. They sold their island in the Norwegian archipelago and settled into renovating an old house in Kerry but part of her always felt that calling for Norway. They now have a small cabin there that they return on occasion between work projects. It is here that she finally put pen to paper and began writing The Glass Key, the story she always knew she would one day write since that day in 2011. The passion that Tasmanian born Amanda has for both Kerry and Norway shines through in this beautiful and immersive tale.

Maggie never knew her grandmother Anna Swan, When Maggie’s mother, Freja, was a child, Anna disappeared without a trace. Over the years, Maggie’s grandfather, Atticus, refused to talk about Anna. Contrary and cantankerous, few knew what his own history was, particularly his actions during the war years. Now Atticus has died and his home, Hellebore House, is on the market. Maggie is distraught. She has always felt a connection with the house but Freja’s memories are different. Freja felt abandoned by her mother and she associates the house and its ghosts with that time.

Maggie starts to sort out her grandfather’s belongings and, on hearing a few snippets from locals, she begins to consider the possibility that the truth to Anna’s disappearance is possibly within her reach. Maggie is running away from her own life in the city and this distraction is providing her with an alternative to her own dark thoughts. Maggie, with a little encouragement, decides to embark on an adventure that will eventually take her to Norway where she will uncover the secrets of her family’s past.

Using a dual timeline the reader is transported back to Norway in 1940 as the Nazi machine roles into town and the people across the land are facing into some extremely shocking times. Four courageous women play centre stage in this heartbreaking story of strength, bravery and determination where the personal cost is enormous. Geard immerses the reader completely in another time, another era with meticulous attention to detail and with characters that jump off the pages.

I shed a tear, I smiled, I could easily visualise the landscape of this Norwegian archipelago. Seamlessly weaving the past into the present The Glass Key is a sweeping story of love, compassion, damaged lives, grief, redemption and so much more. It is another stunning novel from the fabulous Amanda Geard who captures moments exquisitely and truly gives all her readers exactly what they want – a fulfilling read with a beautifully textured and evocative story.

[ Bio ]

Born in Australia, Amanda Geard has lived all over the world, from a houseboat in London to a tiny island in Norway before settling in County Kerry in Ireland. Her debut novel The Midnight House was a Richard and Judy Book Club selection and her novels have been translated into multiple languages.

She divides her time between Ireland, London and Norway.