The building that gives the novel its name, the Glass Palace is the name of an older historical account of the Burmese Royal Family, commissioned by one of King Thebaw’s ancestors.

Though the royal palace is abandoned at the very beginning of the novel, there are many characters who spend the entire book trying to return to a nostalgic past. The king and queen hope to return to Mandalay, Uma wants India to return to independence, and Manju wants to return to a time when her family was still alive. This lusting for a romanticized past–one that is almost impossible to reclaim–is symbolized in the recurring image of the Glass Palace.

In the end, characters are forced to either settle for a half-achieved version of their objective or to discover a new palace of their own imagining. The best example of this is Dinu, who builds a photography studio and names it the Glass Palace. Unlike the glass palaces of the past, it is a modern space, one in which he can encourage political action in a younger generation. He is no longer looking toward the past when he christens his studio; instead, he’s looking toward the future.