I suppose the themes you choose to take away from this novel depend on whether you are a “glass half full” or “glass half empty” kind of person.. I’m usually the half-full kind and even still Glass’s depiction of a world ten years in our future - rocked by climate change and terrorism, erosion of land and belief in the systems we install to protect ourselves - is bleak in a way that feels so realistic. This could be the future if we don’t change our present - or at least that’s one of the more overbearing messages from Vigil Harbor, and I don’t think it’s an inaccurate one. It’s just not what I enjoyed most about this book.

What I did enjoy were the characters of the town of Vigil Harbor: Brecht, a college dropout with PTSD from a bombing; his worried mother Miriam and stepfather Austin, an architect with an unclear past; Mike and Margo, two unlikely friends whose spouses left them for each other; and Celestino, an immigrant who understandably worries about deportation, and his wife Connie, a teacher who struggles to fully understand her husband’s fear. Add in Petra and Ernesto, outsiders with vastly different hidden agendas, and you have a great mix of fully fleshed people with their own motivations and concerns, who all end up tied to each other in ways I didn’t expect at first. I found most of them likable, all of them at least somewhat relatable.

For all the struggles the characters endure - personal and global, due to the world they now live in, the ending is hopeful. Life moves on in some places even if it doesn’t in others, and there’s an optimism to the younger generation in this world that may be required to survive and thrive in our own, even in present day.

There is a fantastical thread through Vigil Harbor that I can’t decide if I like or not. I’m not sure how much it added to the plot, other than affirming the belief that maybe we all could use a little magic. I didn’t see the book marketed as magical realism, so if that’s not your thing, just a heads up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for the ARC!

In Vigil Harbor, Julia Glass imagines what our not-too-distant future will be like -– post-Covid and facing the growing challenges of climate change. Against this backdrop, we meet several families who live in the coastal Massachusetts town of Vigil Harbor as they each go through a kind of metamorphosis. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character, and each one is richly drawn and utterly compelling. This is a story of adapting to personal tribulations and to the ever-changing natural world we live in, told with sharp insight into human relationships and our relationship with nature. Such a great read!

Ok, I LOVE JULIA GLASS. Her character development is unparalleled. I really liked the story, and the shifting point of views - most of the characters are extremely likable and I love how all of their interactions eventually intertwined bringing the whole story together. I could have read on and on about these people!

Thank you NetGalley and Pantheon publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book starts out in a town that seems perfect. The characters all seem to lead quiet ideal life's. We know that can't be the case, an soon things start to change. The outside world invades the lives of our residence and life isn't as perfect as it seemed.

An engrossing novel. Recomend.

This takes place in the very near future. While life has the appearance of returning to normal, the fear of another deadly pandemic together with environmental changes due to global warming is the backdrop to a drama in which the inhabitants of an insular community are drawn into the most recent act of politically driven violence.

Don’t let the three big bogeymen scare you away from this beautifully written novel. Highly recommended.

I was so happy to get this NetGalley that as soon I had it, I started reading it.
I read a few novels by Julia Glass, and I loved them (my favorites: A house among the trees and The widower’s tale). This time this one left me a little perplexed; as usual she is a master is writing a “choral” story, with different characters taking center stage and telling their story. The story is set in ten years, and I was overwhelmed by the gloomy description of the near future. I must say at the end of the book I saw some hope but more than once I thought of stop reading it.
Final thoughts I think it is a good novel, I am happy I didn’t decide to stop, and I want to thank NetGalley and NetGalley and Pantheon for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written and full of introspection. Set 10 years in the future, this small town does their best to pretend things are normal. I appreciated the character interactions, and their reflections.

Full review to come closer to pub date and rating may change!

Julia Glass has always been one of my favorite authors. In her latest novel she delves into a small coastal town that at first glance appears to be a utopia for its residents. Because of their exclusivity they are immune to pressures from the outside world. But as the story unfolds I was drawn into the lives of the various characters as they traveled the various pathways set before them and their handling of sometimes conflicting and dangerous situations.

Yes, a Garden of Eden would be wonderful if there were no wars, world catastrophes, pandemics or terrorists. Adam and Eve both found out that danger can slip inside that safe bubble, even when you least expect it.

Highly recommended!