mtbat's Full Review: Marlys Millhiser - The Mirror
I can remember, clearly, the first time I read The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser. The book was originally published in the late 1970's, I read it after my mother in the early 1980's. I cannot count the number of times I've read it since. five? fifteen? maybe more. I don't know, but it had been too many years since I'd last read the book and when I found it on the table at High Crimes(946 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302 (303) 443-8346 ) one of the few, independent small booksellers left, At $18.95 plus tax, for a trade paperback, the book was more money than I typically like to spend, but I couldn't resist. While I probably could have found it cheaper on line, I didn't want to wait. I was done re-reading this book in three days. I have no doubt I'll read it again soon.
The Mirror is a story of two Women Shay Garrett and Brandy McCabe and a magic mirror-think Freaky Friday but with a dark and deadly sort of twist. Shay is 20 years old in the late 1970's in Boulder Colorado, about to get married to Marek Weir. Brandy is a 20 year old, also in Boulder Colorado in the late 1800's about to be married off to a miner named Corbin Strock. Brandy is Shay's grandmother. In the 20th century she is a 98 year old woman who suffered a stroke nearly 20 years before, she can't talk and can barely function, but when her granddaughter, Shay stands in front of the wedding mirror inside her childhood home-The Gingerbread House- a family heirloom-given to Brandy on her wedding and now passed down to Shay for her wedding gift-Grandma Bran starts to speak-and then.... a flash of lightning, something like an earthquake hits the small Gingerbread House where Shay and Brandy grew up nearly a century apart-
When Shay opens her eyes, she finds herself still in the Gingerbread house, but not in HER Gingerbread house. She finds herself, instead, in the body of someone else. she's shorter, fatter, has hairy legs and is missing a back molar. At first she thinks she's having a really BAD dream, but soon enough she finds out-it's not a dream and she's stuck in the body of her own grandmother-on the eve of a marriage to a man who's name isn't the same as Shay's deceased grandfather, a man Shay cannot remember ever being mentioned by her own mother Rachel(the family history buff). Shay's grandfather was a man named Hutch, not this strange man Corbin.
Brandy's father is a rich man named John McCabe. His daughter, Brandy is on the verge of becoming a spinster, and people have started saying she's crazy to boot. John doesn't want the stigma of a crazy spinster daughter, so when a Miner named Corbin Strock wants to buy an old mine outside of Nederland, Colorado from John McCabe-a mine called the Brandy Wine, John McCabe makes a deal with Corbin-he can have the mine-but only if he marries John's daughter Brandy. And takes her away to Nederland to live with Corbin and his old Cornish mother Thora-far away from Boulder and John McCabe's friends and associates who think Brandy is a few bricks short of a full load. John McCabe tells himself that all Brandy needs is a bunch of kids and a strong husband.
Still in shock, Shay finds herself married to Corbin and living in a small house, almost a shack, in Nederland. She figures out, fairly quickly, that somehow the mirror-the wedding mirror, is responsible for her being where she is and she assumes HOPES that her grandmother Brandy is inhabiting her own body in the 1970's. Shay wants to go home, she wants out of this nightmare where she's considered crazy, where she thinks she is going to GO crazy. She wants out of this world where her new mother in law thinks she has "the gift" to see the future because she knows things about the future, but not nearly enough. Where she doesn't know how to light a fire, clean a lamp or even what to do when her period starts. As time goes on, Shay keeps trying to get the mirror to work it's odd magic and get her HOME. Occasionally, Shay almost gets back, she switches places with her grandmother-but only briefly, then she finds herself back in Brandy's body, living Brandy's life.
The first part of the book tells Shay's story, the last part of the book tells Brandy's story after she wakes up to find herself in Shay's body and in Shay's time. Brandy is slightly better prepared for the future, because the mirror has been showing her glimpse of the future, but she's not really ready to be part of the 20Th century. She doesn't know how to shave her legs, she hates milk, something Shay loved. She is shocked and scandalized by the way people act and dress in this odd new world. It doesn't take long for Shay's family to figure out something is very wrong with Shay. At first they attribute it to shock due to the sudden death of Shay's grandmother, but as time passes, Shay doesn't get 'better' and they begin to worry. And to make matters worse, Shay's body is 2 months pregnant-something a virginal Brandy is NOT prepared to handle. When Brandy overhears Shay's mother, father and a family doctor talking about abortion and locking her away somewhere until she's "better"-Brandy bolts. She finds shelter with a crazy old man who names all his goats and cats after his dead wife, who may or may not be buried in the back yard.
While Shay is trying to get back, so is Brandy. But at the same time, both women must find their way in their new worlds. The mirror is a malevolent force, that switches lives, and sometimes takes lives when threatened. Both women want their old lives back, but will the mirror switch them back? And if it does, will they end up dead in their own times, like John McCabe did when he looked into the mirror?
The Mirror is a well written and entertaining story of time travel and body switching. It's filled with historical tidbits about Colorado, Boulder(where I grew up) and Nederland. The Gingerbread house is a real house, many of the people mentioned in the book really existed.The Characters who don't exist in real history, Millhiser makes them almost real. The story is simple, and hard to put down-you want to know what happens next.
Would I recommend The Mirror? Yes, without a doubt. It's fantasy, mystery and romance, all together in one story. It doesn't always turn out the way you want it, or expect it-but that's part of the charm.
Marlys Millhiser is a local, Boulder Colorado, writer. Besides this novel she's written a number of mysteries and a number of non-mystery's(fantasy style books). One book [b]The Threshold[/b] is a smiler story to The Mirror-a book about people out of their own time, and another one of my all time favorites. She has a rare talent to write books that draw you into the story, books that create pictures inside your head and make you want to know more about the characters she's created.
the book itself is only 303 pages long-a fairly short and easy read for such a great story.ISBN 0-915230-15-1 and a deal for just under $20. One thing to note-Epinons lists Rue Morgue as the publisher-Rue Morgue Bookstore is what is now High Crimes in Boulder Colorado, they've re-published a number of older mysteries.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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