Lola in the Mirror

The sketch is of a mirror. In it, a woman sits near the Eiffel Tower with her back to the viewer. The bottom of the glass reflects the protagonist’s legs. The museum label dates the drawing 18 months before the artist meets Danny Collins, her love. The label describes the scrapyard as the artist’s home.

Now 17, Lola asks the mirror about her future and her past. Lola values the beautiful object above almost all else. In it, one woman always appears, and now she sips coffee at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Despite not revealing her face, the woman exudes a calm, cool presence. Lola insists that the mirror is as vital to her story as the dark stuff that happens to her. For a long time, the mirror only reflected her image, but on her 17th birthday, Lola’s mother shared the story of the Tyrannosaurus Waltz. Lola wondered how someone as kind as her mother could have killed a man. Learning all this, Lola felt a fissure inside of her: on one side was certainty, and on the other was a slew of questions. Then, the woman appeared in the mirror for the first time. Glamorous in a red cocktail dress and unresponsive to Lola’s questions, the woman sauntered into the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

In the present, the woman is sipping coffee in Paris when a handsome man appears and kisses her. When Lola’s mom approaches and asks what she is looking at, the woman in the mirror turns, and Lola sees her face for the first time. The only thing more valuable than the mirror is Lola’s mom.

In the sketch, a woman with a lioness head walks beside a river. A large, clawed hand emerges from the water. The museum label identifies the woman as the artist’s mother and suggests that the hand is fate.

Lola questions her identity, for she does not know her name. She sketches a woman wearing a red dress, and as she draws, the text shifts to an italicized third-person narration about how the artist—Lola—understands that light “is formed by the darkness we place around it” (15). Although referring to art, the words hint at life itself. Shifting back to a first-person perspective, Lola acknowledges the dangers of a name because she and her mother are on the run. The various monikers others give her fail to capture her identity, especially those relating to where she lives, for she is not “homeless […] just houseless” (16). Lola explains how many unhoused people lack formal identification. Some name themselves based on location. Lola’s mom calls her names from songs. Although she deems a name unnecessary, Lola longs for one.

Inside their van, Lola tells her mother about a dream she had about Pablo Picasso painting a mural of a red blob dripping blood on one of Brisbane’s bridges. In it, Lola told Picasso about her future exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He advised her to weep, and she did. In reality, their neighbor, Roslyn, fixes breakfast in the scrapyard, a parcel of land along the Brisbane River. Other neighbors emerge from their vehicles: June and her adult son, Sully, and Serge and his girlfriend, Samantha. Lola’s best friend, Charlie Mould, is not there.

Later, Lola and her mom head to Ebb ‘n’ Flo, a seafood wholesaler. Lola’s mom works for Flora Box, the owner, selling illegal drugs hidden in music CD cases. Despite her grandmotherly looks, Flora is dangerous. Her son, Brandon, is a year older than Lola and is a monster. When Flo asks if Lola will start selling, too, Lola’s mom says no.

The narrative shifts into third person italics again, referencing the appearance of the artist’s mother, who has scars running up and down her arms. The artist believes her mom is beautiful and loves her appreciation for art. When the perspective switches back to Lola, she admits to thinking about the world as if an art critic, E.P. Buckle, were narrating. She does this to cope with her difficult life. Lola came to love art while watching a documentary on Pablo Picasso. She loves his Blue Period and the simplicity of his titles. After watching, mother and daughter began narrating life as if it were a documentary, referring to Lola as “the artist.” Furthermore, the girl also decided to live boldly, like other artists; so often, she makes daring choices, like cartwheeling down the street.

As Lola and her mom walk, the girl quizzes her mother about her real name. Before being on the lam, Lola’s mom was a relief (substitute) teacher. Now, Lola remembers her mother’s plan to turn herself in to the police for her father’s murder on Lola’s 18th birthday in two months. She wishes her mother would change her mind.

Along the river, they see tents of floaters (the unhoused), and they notice the raging current of the river. Charlie is passed out drunk in the grass, and they wake him before continuing down the path. Settling near a bridge, Lola unsuccessfully sketches her mother as a customer buys a CD. When Lola suggests borrowing money from Flo to go to New York City, her mother warns her not to trust Flora Box. Another customer arrives, and Lola notices a couple pushing a stroller nearby.

As Lola and her mom talk about meeting a prince, the couple’s loud arguing interrupts them. Ignoring this, Lola’s mom tells her daughter that although things are difficult, her life will get better. In the meantime, they need to stay invisible. Then, Lola sees the baby stroller speeding toward the river.

Lola’s sketch depicts a faceless woman running through the woods with a giant hand reaching toward her. Segments are left blank, leaving the impression of missing pieces. The museum label likens the scene to a Grimm fairytale, indicating that it is a commentary on fear.

Lola wonders why the stroller is rolling so fast as the mother screams for the toddler named Christina. When the pram flips into the river, Christina’s father launches himself after it. The current sweeps him away, for he cannot swim. Lola’s mom calmly tells her daughter to stay there and then dives into the water, swimming to Christina and grabbing the stroller. Two bikers approach, and one jumps in the water to help dislodge the baby. Lola’s mom tells him something before he ferries the child to safety.

Meanwhile, Lola’s mom mouths “I love you” to Lola and surrenders herself to the current. Lola pulls Christina from the man and hugs her until the girl’s mother arrives. The cyclist emerges from the water, but Lola’s mother has drifted further out, calmly awaiting her death. When her head disappears, Lola weeps.

Shrugging off the comfort of the cyclists, Lola flees, stopping only when the man shouts that her mom’s last words were, “Roslyn will give you the world” (67). Lola thanks him and runs, slipping into E.P. Buckle’s narration, noting that her name should be Curse. She sprints to her van, but no one is there. Distraught, she looks at photos, vomits, and collapses in exhaustion.

Moments later, she asks her magic mirror about her future and her past. The woman looks directly at Lola and asks what is wrong. When Lola suggests she should drown herself, too, the woman declares that it is a waste. Instead of introducing herself, the woman enquires about what constitutes an identity. The woman’s name is Lola, which means sorrow. Then, she tells the girl that life will get better, then worse, and then better again. She adds that Lola, the girl, will survive.