"Mirror Mirror": brilliantly observant

Mirror Mirror is a perceptive, observant and brilliantly entertaining fictional biography by Paula Byrne, based on the life of Marlene Dietrich. It explores Hollywood’s obsession with appearance and what happens to the human pysche when those expectations become impossible and unachievable. This is a captivating novel which successfully evokes the glamour and the tragedy of Hollywood in the 1930s. Byrne explores the transient nature of beauty and appearance in a story which is compelling, insightful and, at times, heartbreakingly sad.

The character of Madou is viewed from the perspective of two alternating voices, one being the voice of Kater, Madou’s daughter, the other being the voice of the mirror. The shifts in narration allow us to observe the complexities of Madou’s character and reveals the contradictions within her psyche. Through Kater, we see Madou the mother. Their relationship is difficult, often painful yet, essentially, loving. As Madou’s story unfolds, so does that of Kater, resulting in the reader joining Kater on her traumatic journey into adulthood. Byrne skillfully entwines the story of mother and daughter throughout the novel, allowing the reader to grow alongside Kater as she becomes a woman.

The mirror, inspired by Noel Coward, acts as a recurring motif for appearance, glamour and the Hollywood ideal. It observes and comments throughout the narrative, giving us an insight into Madou and Kater. Madou takes comfort in her relationship with the mirror as it reflects her beauty and constantly affirms her status in the eyes of Hollywood and within herself. Yet, to Kater, the mirror is brutal and is a cruel and stark reminder of her inability to match her mother’s physical beauty.

Byrne brilliantly juxtaposes the conflicting worlds of Hollywood and Europe as she explores Madou’s courage, bravery and inner goodness in her stance against Hitler and Nazi Germany. Despite her flaws, the reader cannot help but admire Madou and her strength, determination and devotion to standing up and fighting for what she knows to be right.

Mirror Mirror is an exceptional novel which brilliantly explores the highs, lows, pain and tragedy of Hollywood’s obsession with appearance and glamour. We are then faced with the question as to what happens when beauty fades. Through Madou’s inevitable physical decline in her later years, we see that physical beauty is transient but Madou’s strength, passion and love for her daughter are enduring.

Byrne expertly evokes the glamour, beauty, cruelty, and often questionable values of Hollywood with vibrancy, enabling the reader to become completely immersed in that world. A world in which ‘beauty is the only game in town’. A wonderful, superbly researched and thought provoking read which I highly recommend.