Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton

6 reviews

lauradanby's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Where ‘Boy swallows universe’ felt like a love letter to Dalton’s family, ‘Lola in the mirror felt like a love letter to Brisbane. Living in Brisbane my whole life and being able to see the city through Dalton’s eyes was a treat. His inclusion of magical realism also gave a sparkle to the city. 

The use of artwork and extended metaphors used throughout are absolutely beautiful. 

I also enjoyed Dalton’s commentary on ‘houselessness’, the welfare system, cost of living, and the impact that the upcoming Olympics is having on the city. 

However, I did find that the middle of the novel did drag a bit at times. I also felt like at times he drew from the same formula of ‘Boy swallows universe’ where he ended the story with an epic cat and mouse chase which I did find myself skilling over a bit at times. 

I also felt like all the loose strings tied up a bit too nicely and conveniently which did detract from the overall message I felt. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol

madiblissbooks's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism

taylormoore's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, and Abandonment

ryleee's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

If I wasn't reading this for book club, this probably would have been a DNF... This attempted to present some large and important themes (domestic violence, homelessness, addiction), but I felt as though it just trivialised these topics, reducing them to gaudy one-liners (Tyrannosaurus Waltz, Tyrant Lizard), or only superficially reflecting (throwaway sentences about the impact of the 2032 Olympics on those without stable housing, or the incredibly brief mention of settler violence in the opening-ceremony-bit). It tried to be a window (or... a mirror) into everything, and in doing so, became an empty view. 

The main character doesn't develop at all, despite experiencing a kaleidoscope of traumas. She seems to bounce from one horror into the next without even a glance in the rear-view. The plot does develop, but only through the most whip-lash-inducing twists that are so unbelievable that it's incompatible with the hyper-real setting that the author spends every second word reiterating. There always seems to be someone or something that arrives for the narrator at exactly the right time, so she is able to avoid self-reflection entirely. The only remotely likeable character is Charlie. 

The entire 'Danny' sub-plot is borderline elitist. I'm not sure if the author was intending this character to be ironic? I can't even describe my dislike of his storyline. Charlie sums it up perfectly on pages 338-9. It's skimmed over but the narrator stalks Danny. For a book that is so vocal about domestic violence, this was a double standard for me. 

Perhaps I took this book too literally. There are some segments that are solid. It invokes some emotion, mainly through the ancillary characters. I wish it focused more on the narrator's internal journey.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Child abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury

_brooke___'s review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, and Abandonment

Moderate: Kidnapping

cpsnell's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, and Abandonment