This is not a light or easy read. This a blunt portrayal of homelessness, drug use/dealing, and the violence that comes along with those two things. It’s brutal. It’s heartbreaking. It’s real in the worst and best of ways. You get to meet a bunch of characters who all have their own set of struggles.
Our main character has no name. She is desperate to know her name and who she is and who she will be. Remember how it felt to be a teenager and not really know what life was all about… well imagine feeling that on top of not even knowing your name or your past. She is both naive to the world and so incredibly strong because of the life she lived.
There are times when she refers to herself as ‘the artist’ and it’s brilliant. Each chapter is accompanied by a beautiful sketch. It adds a lot to the story and I truly loved each sketch.

There’s a lot of messages in this that were so powerful. Like how the main character felt invisible with people all around her. Like how we can make horrible mistakes but still deserve love and kindness. This book is incredible. It’s hard to even put it into words. It’s beautiful. It’s heartbreaking. It’s hopeful. It’s devastating. It’s perfect and I am so happy I read it.

Thank you Harper Perennial for the eARC.

Trent Dalton! Always a pleasure!

Lola in the mirror is controversial. Some say Dalton’s romanticising domestic abuse, others see it treading the recognition of the Tyrannosaurus Waltz, the dance between mothers and their monsters!
Some say Dalton’s looking down on the homeless (The girl with no name, the artist figures she’s not of that elk. She’s houseless. There’s a difference! She lives in Brisbane’s West end near the river, in a scrapyard, in a Toyota van without wheels.)
Her mother’s running away from a crime she committed. Hence her daughter without a name. Because no one can trace them. When the artist turns eighteen her mother’s going to turn herself in. That’s two months away. A lot can happen in that time.
The artist has dreams of becoming another Picasso, of hanging work in the MET!
Quirky, fascinating, bringing the underbelly of Brisbane’s forgotten to the fore, this is Dalton at his universal best.
Another gritty, magical tale from Dalton you’ll either love or hate. I loved it despite the attendant problems.

A Harper ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This was a bigger than life rollercoaster ride of a novel. Our heroine/narrator is herself bigger than life and I won't be forgetting her anytime soon. Not an easy read, but always an entertaining one. A five star library ebook. Good stuff Mr Dalton.

The book is dark, horrifying and intriguing. It is emotionally charged and thought provoking. Dip your toes into them and let them take you on an emotional ride. The characters were mysterious and they had a complicated relationship with each other. The world building was mysterious. Mirror certainly played an essential role and added mystery, horror and magic to the book. The writing is so beautiful. The illustrations are so unique and thoughtful. Author has portrayed real life and tragic and unsettling experiences.

Thanks to the Publisher.

"Who am I? In a world of eight billion people, I'm the seventeen-year-old girl with no name lying on a mattress beside her sleeping mum in a van beside the Brisbane River." That's all we really know about "the artist" when we begin and, frankly, that is close to all that she knows about herself. Lola in the Mirror not only seeks to answer the who-am-I question about the artist, but about all of us in general. What defines us? What makes us who we are if not our name? What is love? What makes a family?

Trent Dalton masterfully creates a world where you don't need a name to be seen, be loved, be a friend, have a family, envision a future, protect secrets, and create art. Without a name, the artist comes to understand who she is, what she wants and where she' wants to go.

On the run with her mother for all of her life from a monster she believes to be an abusive, yet dead, father, the artist is soon navigating the world on her own as invisibly as possible. She survives but doesn't really start living until she finds someone to really see her, but when she does everything she knows to that point turns on its head. Lola in the Mirror is a coming-of-age story filled with compassion, generosity, loyalty, deception, disappointment, and love. It isn't always pretty, but when it's true, it's beautiful.

"Okay, what's the meaning of life?"
"Well, according to Ivan, it's to love as many people as you can before you die. And to let as many people as you can love you back."
"Holy shit," Danny says, "that's exactly what Ivan said!"
"Well, that's what Ivan believes," I say.
"What do you believe?" Danny asks. "What's the meaning of life for you?"
"Cartwheels," I say.
Cartwheels," Danny nods. "Of course."

Thank you to Harper Collins for the ARC of this book through Netgalley, which I received for my honest review.

I have loved Trent Dalton since Boy Swallows Universe! This novel was another journey of his special kind of magic. No other author can drag you through the mud but make you cry happy tears at the same time. Can't wait to read his next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the eARC.

Woah. Lola in the Mirror is an emotional ride. I feel that there is no way for me to provide this novel adequate justice with my own words. But if you feel intrigued at all by the synopsis, you should absolutely pick it up. But, pick up a box of tissues to go with it.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for this ARC of 'Lola in the Mirror' by Trent Dalton.

I hadn't heard of Trent Dalton before, oddly, nor his bestselling 'Boy Swallows Universe' so I was coming at this completely blind and with no expectations.

I was blown away.

I'd describe 'Lola in the Mirror' as a modern-day urban fantasy - full of the realities of living a homeless and houseless existence in a very busy city but liberally sprinkled throughout with magic and impossibly fortuitous events and coincidences. The nameless late-teen heroine has been on the run with her mother for all of her nearly 18 years and we hear snippets of what that's entailed but has been 'settled' in Brisbane in the back of a scrapyard along the Brisbane River (which is a key character in the novel) for a number of years as part of the houseless community of Brisbane's West End. She's an artist and sketches constantly - her sketches are sprinkled throughout the book and each one is accompanied by the imagined voice of a far future art critic describing her life and work as he leads a tour of her Met Museum retrospective. The Lola in the mirror of the title is a magical and sometimes impossibly glamourous woman who 'the artist' turns to for help, advice, and sanity.

It's hard to describe this book without taking 5,000 words to do it. It's so full of ideas and words, wonderful character, and emotions, and you just know starting out that it's going to involve tragedy but you don't know how sad, bad, or tragic those outcomes will be and whether there'll be any light at the end of the tunnel. Man, I can't tell you how many times my eyes filled with tears while reading this one.

The human characters that inhabit the novel are superb - good and evil - but I also loved that the river and the bridges, the public artwork, and the whole city of Brisbane were such central characters of the book.

'Lola in the Mirror' is magical and wonderful.

Poetic, magical and truly reflective.

Thanks Harper Perennial and NetGalley for ARC.

A massive applause to Trent Dalton on this brilliantly written unforgettable novel.

A girl & her mother, both unnamed, have been on the run for 16 years from a monster they left behind. They’re now in a scrapyard by the Brisbane river living in an old Toyota van. But the girl has a dream, a strong ambition to become a celebrated artist. Her life might be black & white, but her visions are full of colour. Can she escape the clutches of the underworld life of Brisbane she has entangled herself in? Will she ever know who she is or what her name is?

From the bottom of my heart, I loved this book. It is one of those elusive stories, that is almost in the realm of your comprehension but not quite. There is something that is beyond our grasp, beyond our ability to perceive or observe. It is this quality that makes it such a rare gem.

For me the highlight was the beautiful illustrations that are present at the beginning of every chapter & the format the author adopts to reveal the personality of this mysterious girl who talks often to someone called “Lola” in the mirror, reminiscing the dark past, fantasizing about a rich, vibrant future while grappling with her circumstances.

Be it a mother-daughter’s relationship, the blind trust we have in someone we love, adore and worship, the transcending quality of art and creativity, the life on the run in the murky suburbs of Brisbane amidst the drugs, addiction, the violence and the homeless - Dalton has dealt with all of these aspects in great depth, care & detail.

The prose is especially beautiful and some of the words truly make you close your eyes while you appreciate the simple truth and crux of life, love and fate in them.

At the core of #LolaInTheMirror, we have a relentless quest for identity, the primal need to find out one’s roots, the yearning to belong and also a powerful manifestation/envisioning of the future. Humor, poignancy and heart-break make up the rest of it.

Highly recommend for fans of literary/crime fiction.

A girl and her mom have been on the run for her entire life. Her mom did something bad to leave behind a monster and promises to come clean on the girl’s 18th birthday. Until then, they live in a van in a scrapyard. They have no names, because that would be too dangerous. The girl dreams of being an artist, leaving behind the life of houselessness and scraping by working for a drug queen, to create art alongside a boy she loves. The girl doesn’t know how she is going to do this, but one person does. Her name is Lola, and the girl can only speak to her through the cracked mirror she owns.

This book is very emotionally moving. With heavy topics and violence, but also love and life, the background of poverty and crime contrasts with the love and hope the main character continues to carry even in the worst moments.

This has book of the year potential. You should read it.

A girl and her mom have been on the run and live in a van. She has no name because names are dangerous when you’re on the lam. When her mother is no longer able to protect her, she turns to Lola but she has to find her first.

I found this kind of like a modern Alice in the Looking Glass (I mean, look at the title!), except instead of wonderland it’s Brisbane, Australia. I loved the images that were included and the descriptions tying it to the story. There were parts that were slow paced for me, but the main character had such an interesting and unique perspective that it kept my interest.

“No telling when a dreams gonna find you. A dream can reach you like a song or a jab to the jaw.”

Lola in the Mirror comes out 9/17.

Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton is a sweeping story.
His brilliant storytelling and character depth was outstanding.
A thought-provoking and utterly delightful read I couldn’t stop once I started.
A beautiful and compelling read.

I fell in love with Trent Dalton’s work after reading Boy Swallows Universe. While this one was not as sprawling or perfect, and it often took itself a little too seriously, it was filled with lovable characters, a constantly interesting plot, and the same charm and grit that Eli brought into the world. A must read!

There are books that tear at your soul, and then there are books that rip it wide open, exposing all the raw emotions you didn’t even know you had. This is one of those books. It follows the harrowing journey of a homeless girl, but that description barely scratches the surface.

It’s a story of survival against unimaginable odds—where every form of abuse you can think of lurks in the shadows, and every flicker of hope is met with a new kind of despair. Yet, there’s a resilience in this girl that grips you and refuses to let go.

I found myself wanting to reach through the pages, to hold her close and offer some semblance of comfort. But at the same time, I was afraid—afraid of the darkness that seemed to swallow her at every turn, afraid that my own strength might not be enough to keep her afloat. Still, the urge to embrace her, to protect her from all the horrors of the world, was overpowering.

This isn’t just a book; it’s a cry for help, a plea for understanding, and an undeniable reminder of the strength of the human spirit. It left me with a deep sense of longing—to do something, to change something, to help someone. It's a story that stays with you, that haunts you, and in a strange way, it makes you grateful for the pain because it means you felt something real.

This book deserves a special kind of hug, one that’s tender and fierce, offering warmth and protection in equal measure. I don't think I'll ever be able to let it go completely, and perhaps that's the greatest tribute I can offer.

It's a hard read, but fulfilling and real.

Our heroine and her mother are on the run. Living in a van, it's a hard life. The girl doesn't know her real name anymore or why they run. This trauma eats at her confidence and colors her young adulthood as she struggles to find a foothold in the world.
Dalton is a lyrical writer that easily pulls us into this magical story of coming of age while on the run. #haprerperennial #trentdalton #lolainthemirror

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

In Lola in the Mirror, Trent Dalton crafts a narrative that is as gritty as it is magical, blending the harsh realities of life with the whimsical flights of imagination.

Dalton’s storytelling shines through his vivid descriptions and the depth of his characters. The protagonist, living in a dilapidated 1987 Toyota HiAce van, dreams of becoming a groundbreaking artist. Her journey is fraught with danger, yet it is also filled with moments of hope and beauty. 

The novel’s title, Lola in the Mirror, is a metaphor for self-discovery and reflection, and it is a beautifully woven tale. The protagonist’s quest to find Lola is symbolic of her journey to understand herself and her place in the world. 

Dalton’s prose is both lyrical and raw, capturing the beauty and brutality of life in equal measure. 

Lola in the Mirror is a testament to Trent Dalton’s storytelling prowess. It is a novel that challenges, inspires, and ultimately, leaves a lasting impression. Whether you are a fan of Dalton’s previous works or new to his writing, this book is a must-read for anyone who appreciates a story that is as thought-provoking as it is captivating.

Rich, multi-dimensional characters

Engaging and thought-provoking narrative

Seamless blend of reality and magical realism

You will never read anything like this, that’s for sure. It just wasn’t for me. I have seen majority good reviews and it seems like it’s a beautiful story.

This was a complex and heart wrenching story that explores the harsh reality of homelessness along with love, resilience and identity. Talking place in Australia, along the Brisbane river, Dalton transported me to this new to me country and wrote characters you feel you can connect with even when you have so little in common. There was romance, drama, suspense and even a hint of magic realism. However, what set this book apart was that Dalton included sketches from the main character’s sketchbook before each chapter (which is definitely a reason to read this book over audio). He then connected each image to the events occurring in her life. I thought this was so unique and loved how “the girl with no name” never stopped chasing her dreams.

Thank you Harper Perennial for the ARC!

Out of his three novels, this one is my least favorite. I appreciate Dalton's effort to shed light on the harsh realities of homelessness and violence against women. However, the impact of these themes is diminished by the surreal romance and the Hollywood-style action plot, complete with exaggerated villainous characters. The novel felt overly long and repetitive, and I found the protagonist occasionally difficult to empathize with.

This is the story of a girl who has been living a lie all of her life, and she doesn’t even know it - yet. She is promised that she will know everything when the time is right, but then, in an act meant to protect someone else, this mother who has raised her, disappears from her life. From life. Along with the secret she kept from her. Along with the secret of her name, who she really is.

She’s just a sixteen-year-old girl, living in abandoned cars or vans as long as she can remember, but now she is a sixteen year old girl who is on the edges of living, but doesn’t really have a real life. How can you when you don’t even know who you are, and you don’t even know your name?

This is a story of desire, finding a path to a future to fulfill her dream of becoming a recognized artist, of sharing her stories through her art. Of finding someone who recognizes her, not just as an artist, but someone who believes in her vision, her dreams, her talent, but mostly in her ability to give and believe in love, at last.


Pub Date: 17 Sep 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Harper Perennial and Paperbacks | Harper Perennial