Jenifer Kay Hood

The Glass Nephew Jenifer Kay Hood

What would you be willing to do to have what you desire? This question swirls around every chapter in this novel of magic, murder and intrigue. When Father Peter Veldig first meets Roy Chastelneuf, he believes he has found a generous and sympathetic friend who understands his longing for a son. Yet when the magician presents him with a living glass teenager, the priest is unable to celebrate for long. Facing blackmail and disgrace, things go from bad to worse when the 19-year-old glass boy falls in love with the very human Rosalie, the willful granddaughter of his oldest friend. Soon all must confront the consequences of seeking what nature and society say they cannot have. The Glass Nephew is Jenifer Kay Hood's retelling of Elinor Wylie's tale, The Venetian Glass Nephew. Set in Oregon, the story follows what happens when a lonely but pious priest expresses his desire for a son. Through a former pupil, he meets Roy Chastelneuf, a sophisticated and urbane Illuminati who has been trained in the art of bringing glass objects to life. The magician and his apprentice Luna make just the sort of young man Father Peter desires, but without asking permission and for the purpose of blackmail. At first delighted, the priest names the boy Virginio, after his late sister. Realizing the teenager is a blank slate, Father Peter leaves the boy with his oldest friend, a retired philosophy professor, so he may be educated enough to join him in the priesthood. But no one counts on Virginio becoming emotionally entangled with Professor Querini's granddaughter Rosalie. What happens next challenges them all to come to terms with what happens when one embraces things nature and society would normally deny.