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Lola in the Mirror

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Lola in the Mirror

By: Trent Dalton
Narrated by: Victoria Graves
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About this listen

Bighearted, gritty, magical and moving, Lola in the Mirror is the irresistible new novel from international bestselling author of Boy Swallows Universe and All Our Shimmering Skies, Trent Dalton.

WINNER 2024 ABIA BOOK LITERARY FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

SHORTLISTED FOR 2023 DYMOCKS BOOK OF THE YEAR, 2024 INDIE BOOK AWARDS, 2024 BOOKPEOPLE FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR and 2024 AUSTRALIAN BOOK DESIGN AWARDS BEST DESIGNED COMMERCIAL FICTION COVER

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 MARGARET AND COLIN RODERICK LITERARY AWARD


'Unpredictable, fantastic ... It takes a charged narrative, like Dickens achieves, and as Dalton does too, to reach the heart and the brain - writing that is able to carry both stories, the individual and the political/personal ... To tell you more would spoil this complicated and surprising story. You should read it.' Sydney Morning Herald

'Mirror, mirror, on the grass, what's my future? What's my past?'

A girl and her mother have been on the run for sixteen years, from police and the monster they left in their kitchen with a knife in his throat. They've found themselves a home inside a van with four flat tyres parked in a scrapyard by the edge of the Brisbane River.

The girl has no name because names are dangerous when you're on the run. But the girl has a dream. A vision of a life as an artist of international acclaim. A life outside the grip of the Brisbane underworld drug queen 'Lady' Flora Box. A life of love with the boy who's waiting for her on the bridge that stretches across a flooding, deadly river. A life beyond the bullet that has her name on it. And now that the storm clouds are rising, there's only one person who can help make her dreams come true. That person is Lola and she carries all the answers. But to find Lola, the girl with no name must first do one of the hardest things we can ever do. She must look in the mirror.

From international bestselling author Trent Dalton, Lola in the Mirror is a big, moving, blackly funny, violent, heartbreaking and beautiful novel of love, fate, life and death and all the things we see when we look in the mirror: all our past, all our present, and all our possible futures.

'Trent Dalton's third novel reminds me of the 1980s advertising slogan for the author's home state of Queensland: Beautiful one day, perfect the next ... Lola in the Mirror is a bold, big-hearted, hopeful, humorous, dark, reflective, truthful, superbly written novel that confirms Dalton's place in all the shimmering skies (to borrow the title of his second novel) of Australian literature. He is not a rising star but a star full stop.' The Australian

'Wonderful ... An original, heart-thumping novel ... you are right there with the protagonists, feeling and believing every word and every raindrop. It is the type of novel you read filled with pure hope and sorrow for the characters. You want to believe that everything is going to work out just fine, and that there will be dancing, and art, and delight. You won't know until the end, and by that time you, too, are running through the streets, turning the pages, and trusting that love wins.' Readings

'Dalton holds a mirror up to the darkest corners of this Australian life and reveals every bit of beauty, magic and calamity it has to offer.' Booktopia

©2023 Trent Dalton (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers
Coming of Age Crime Fiction Family Life Heartfelt

What listeners say about Lola in the Mirror

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Brilliant

Yet another outstanding book. I love how this book made me think and truly feel. It made me question and reflect and have greater compassion. Thank you.

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Dalton- a master story teller

Trent Dalton has created another beautiful
Love story like no other

What an incredible gift his writing is- thank you

A teenage woman learning who she is

Who others say she is

And is creating who she wants to be

Set on the streets of Brisbane we experience the normality of life as a person without a house. And all the underbelly of the subculture this life has.

Reading this as the ‘normal’ really challenged me with my judgement of people who are labelled as homeless.

And the cameo of Dalton’s creating of Love stories was fun to recognise.

This is another fantastic read/ listen

The narration was wonderful. Easy to listen to, well
Paced and you could feel that the narrated knew the work.

Thank you.

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Incredible

Just incredible! Gripping, heartbreaking and joyful all at the same time. I'll definitely be buying the hard copy to enjoy the illustrations that were spoken about at the end of the book too.

I was very confused in parts with the timeline though and thought I was just missing some visual clue in the written book to assist with this, but I’m reading other comments that some of the chapters are out of order and that would explain it.

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Most brilliant book

This is truly one of the most incredible books I have ever read. Trent Dalton not only describes a scene like an artwork, he manages to do the same with the characters thoughts and inner workings. So beautiful. As soon as I finished I wanted to start again.

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What an incredible tale!

Another absolutely superb book by Trent Dalton. The tone of the narration was so perfect - I loved every single second. Now I will wait patiently for this creative genius to write his next book!

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Favourite book of 2023!

Another absolute triumph from Trent. Laughed, cried and just loved hearing the places in my hometown described in such intimacy. You’re a living treasure Trent Dalton!

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Loved it

Another great book when’s is the next one? I can’t wait for another book to be released

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Another win for Dalton

Incredible. Thought-provoking. Beautiful.
Similar to Boy meets universe, exploring the gritty, honest and brutal realities of life.
Narration was amazing. However having chapters 20 and 26 switched around completely messed with the listening and ruined the ending.

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Fantastic book. loved it

Great story, great characters, awesome narrator. Loved some of the action senses. Love the way Trent writes. Kind of poetry in itself.

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Gripping

From start to end, I was mesmerised by the unwinding of the story. I truly felt like an observer watching it unfold. Brilliant Trent

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.