Lola in the Mirror

A teenage girl and her mother spend their lives moving from one part of Australia to another to escape the past. At each location they change their names. The girl often asks her mother who she really is but her mother says that she will reveal the girl's identity when she turns eighteen. However the mother drowns in the river trying to save another mother's baby and the girl is left to discover her true identity on her own.

The young girl is an artist and regularly sketches images of the challenges she faces as she seeks to discover her true identity. She does have friends among many of the houseless (not homeless) who live in Brisbane and also frequents a welfare agency where some support is available. However there is constant danger, especially from Flo and her cohorts who sell drugs and exert violence on those in debt to her. The young girl seeks solace and advice from the image that sometimes appears in a broken mirror as she attempts to sort out her life.

In Lola in the Mirror Trent Dalton has created a story that is often dark and violent but is also a story of love and compassion and the fight for survival and contains moments of humour. Life is not easy for the young artist, however she is determined to fight the obstacles placed in front of her and discover her own path in life.

At the beginning of each chapter Paul Heppell has created one of the girl's sketches complimenting the theme of the chapter. A premise running through the book is that one day the girl's artwork will appear in the art gallery in New York when she becomes a famous artist.

Trent Dalton has written a compelling study of life in parts of Australia not seen or understood by most people. However throughout the novel there is a belief that eventually the girl should be able to determine her own future. This confronting story with a thread of hope is definitely one of the best books that I have read this year.