The History of Glass: A novel

For many, life can be a fragile thing, something that can be destroyed the same way a glass is carelessly knocked over by an elbow while leaving the table. The History of Glass: A Novel is the chronicle of one such life. It is the story of Peter, from the photographic memories of his birth, to his childhood in Houston, Texas, and then his graduation into real life when he moves with his family to Reston, Virginia. Like the suburban town's locale, lost somewhere between Washington, DC, and Virginia's southern heritage, Peter is dropped in a world that had once been filled with a kind of humane promise but has instead evolved into the dream of American expansion. The teens of Reston become Peter's allies, unknowingly embracing an uncertain future. All are broken, glass swept under a rug. Unseen, they are free to do anything, but end up doing nothing. And the struggle that remains is Peter's attempt to establish a sense of home for himself midst his broken family, and a sense of self midst the refugees of the planned community of Reston, Virginia.