A Map of Glass

Award-winning, bestselling author Jane Urquhart’s eagerly anticipated new novel is a magnificent accomplishment and her strongest to date.

A Map of Glass weaves two parallel stories, one set in contemporary Toronto and Prince Edward County, the other in the nineteenth century on the northern shores of Lake Ontario. A novel about loss and the transitory nature of place, A Map of Glass contains all the elements for which Jane Urquhart’s novels are celebrated.

Sylvia Bradley was rescued from her parents’ house by a doctor attracted to and challenged by her withdrawn ways. Their subsequent marriage has nourished her, but ultimately her husband’s care has formed a kind of prison. When she meets Andrew, a historical geographer, her world changes.

A year after Andrew’s death, Sylvia makes a connection with Jerome, a young conceptual artist/photographer who, while executing one of his outdoor projects, discovers Andrew’s body.

After Sylvia escapes to the city, she shares with Jerome the story of Andrew’s forebears, a story that goes back to the nineteenth century amidst the flourishing timber and shipbuilding industries of Lake Ontario. This story is the breathtaking centre of A Map of Glass, an intricate novel enriched by moments of vivid history come to life and haunting imagery. It stands as her richest, most accomplished novel to date.