The Sound of Breaking Glass

In The Sound of Breaking Glass, Christel Maxine is at breaking point. Balancing a demanding career in reality television, raising two small children, and maintaining her commitment as an activist with Women Against Surplus Plastic, Christel's life is a whirlwind of pressure and responsibility. On top of these challenges, she is being stalked, adding an ominous new layer of stress to her already fraught existence.

Her life takes an even stranger turn when a sculpture she created for a protest — a milk bottle figure — seemingly comes to life, reminiscent of the golem of Jewish folklore. This eerie occurrence brings to the surface characters and memories from Christel's past that she would rather keep buried. As a second-generation Holocaust survivor, Christel struggles with the heavy legacy of her father, who survived the horrors of the Holocaust and sought refuge in New Zealand after the war.

Set against the vibrant and sometimes chaotic backdrop of 1990s Auckland, The Sound of Breaking Glass is a compelling and multifaceted novel. It is rich with the energy of a city on the brink of the new millennium, yet it is deeply intertwined with a history that casts long shadows on the present. Christel's journey is not just about confronting the immediate issues in her life, but also about grappling with the inherited trauma and dark family secrets that are slowly being uncovered.

As Christel delves deeper into her family’s past, she is forced to confront the murky and often unresolvable legacy of her heritage. The novel explores themes of identity, memory, and resilience, deftly interweaving the personal and the historical. Reader’s will be drawn into Christel’s struggle to reconcile her past while striving to build a future for herself and her children.

The Sound of Breaking Glass is a rare literary achievement that manages to capture the pulse of contemporary urban life while addressing profound questions about history, trauma, and survival. Christel's story is both unique and universal, making this a must-read for anyone interested in the intricate dance between past and present, and the enduring impact of history on individual lives.