El zoo de vidre

El zoo de vidre portrays an American family grappling with the aftermath of the Great Crash (1929), as they navigate the divide between aspirations for the future and the harsh realities they face. In the modest Wingfield flat, Amanda strives to secure a brighter future for her two children, Tom and Laura, while she contends with the bitterness of having been abandoned by her husband.

Tom, who also serves as the story's narrator, is a young poet toiling away in a warehouse to support the family, yearning for adventure and liberation from his mother's stifling protectiveness. Laura, the younger sister, is a timid and introverted girl, who finds solace in her collection of delicate glass figurines. Her physical disability becomes a significant obstacle in her attempts to engage with the outside world and to give way to her romantic illusions. The family's journey takes a dramatic turn when Amanda resolves to find a suitor for Laura, determined to shield her children from the hardships she herself has endured.