LOLA IN THE MIRROR, by Trent Dalton - Book Review (Contemporary Fiction)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ¼ (Goodreads: 4.36)

GENRE: Contemporary Fiction

PART OF A SERIES? No

WORTH READING? Yes

SUMMARY:

Lola in the Mirror follows a nameless teenage girl living on the run in Brisbane with her mother. The girl dreams of becoming an artist while navigating a gritty underworld of drugs, crime, and hidden identities. Throughout the story, she grapples with questions about her identity, her past, and what her future might hold.

Through vivid prose and magical realism, she confronts her past via conversations with "Lola" in a mirror, chasing self-discovery amid danger and loss.

Opening lines: “My mother danced the Tyrannosaurus Waltz. It is the dance of mothers and their monsters.”

From that cracking opening line, Trent Dalton takes us on a journey around Brisbane, Australia.

The protagonist has had a difficult life. When we meet her, she is living in a scrapped van on the banks of the Brisbane River with her mother. She begins talking to ‘Lola’ in a broken mirror. ‘Lola’ represents the glamorous life the teenager envisions for herself.

Dalton has an incredible knack — most likely due to his own past, of which he has spoken at length — for shining a light on people who are impoverished or living in risky situations. The insight he offers his readers makes you think, ‘There but for the grace of God…’ and reminds you to recognise and appreciate your own good fortune.

Throughout Lola in the Mirror, there's a recurring theme of ‘the artist’ imagining her famous artworks in a gallery, along with their title and description. These act as a summary, in a way. I found this approach quite unique and really like how Trent Dalton did this.

Trent Dalton is quite humorous in Lola in the Mirror. E.g. when the girl is in the police station, she’s told to “…not move a muscle if I knew what was good for me. But I never know what’s good for me, so I move my neck muscles and look around…”

The narrator in the audiobook mispronounced some words, such as saying feet for fête. I know it’s not the author’s fault, but it’s always something that irks me, and I would love if pronunciations were checked more thoroughly.

Click here to purchase Lola in the Mirror  

I can also attest to this Dalton novel being a great read…

Click here to purchase Boy Swallows Universe 

I really enjoyed the TV series, too. Fingers crossed Lola in the Mirror also makes it to the screen.

N.B: I earn from qualifying purchases as an Amazon affiliate.