Hosts
Anthony Jeselnik
Anthony JeselnikAbout the episode
Jeselnik Book Club reviews The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel. We break down the book’s nonlinear story and answer mailbag questions ranging from “Have you ever refused to acknowledge someone from your past?” to “What do you think of authors killing heroes?”
Email us your thoughts and questions about our next book club selection, The Trees, by October 26 at mailto:JeselnikBookClub@gmail.com.
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Host: Anthony Jeselnik
Supervising Producer: Magdalena Munao
Talent Booker: Paige Garbarini
Creative Producer: Daniel Comer
Technical Director: Chris Wohlers
Set Design: Jonathan Ratliff and Gitu Mehra
Editor: Matt Pevic
Social: Michael Rovzar
Additional Production Supervision: Jack Wilson
Summary
- 0:01
Intro
- 0:39
Why I joined The Ringer
- 11:17
Plot recap
- 47:40
How do you try without appearing to try?
- 48:25
Rank the Emily St. John Mandel books
- 49:49
What’s the closest you’ve been to a Ponzi scheme?
- 51:00
Thoughts on the St. John Mandel connected universe?
- 52:30
Did Vincent intend to drown, or was it an accident?
- 53:40
What song captures the essence of the hotel?
- 55:54
How do you feel about the concept of counter lives?
- 57:53
Which character do you find most interesting?
- 59:05
Why is the book called The Glass Hotel?
- 1:00:05
Have you ever pretended not to recognize someone from your past?
- 1:02:30
What do you think of Paul using Vincent’s videos for his career?
- 1:04:25
What do you think about authors killing their heroes?
- 1:06:03
How does revealing a tragic end point early change the reader’s experience?
- 1:07:52
What would you do if you were implicated in this Ponzi scheme?
- 1:09:00
What do you think about the role of guilt in this story?
- 1:11:15
Why is 9/11 never alluded to in this book?
- 1:13:35
Is this book better on a second read?
- 1:15:04
What is your favorite place to read?
- 1:19:00
October Book Club selection: The Trees by Percival Everett