Review of Mirror, Mirror by Nancy Butcher
Unnerving Modern Fairytale of Love, Loyalty and the Perils of Beauty
Dec 16, 2008
The tale of Snow White is utilised deftly by Nancy Butcher in this novel for ages ten and up, published by Usborne. Although its plot is based on a well-loved fairytale, do not be fooled into thinking that this is a romantic fantasy in which true-love conquers all and laughter and loyalty prevails. This is no fairytale for young children.
Mirror, Mirror (Usborne 2006, ISBN 978074607309-4) is a story of pride, vanity and ruthlessness, invaded by murderous thoughts and deeds and the vile realities of contemporary life – harsh family life, dashed dreams, drug taking and drug pushing, disguised and wrapped up in what should be a sugary fairytale world. But it is a sinister place which these characters inhabit.
The Problems of a Teenager – Reality Versus Fantasy
The story is told from the viewpoint of a teenager, Tatiana Anatolia. She is a princess, but nevertheless faces the same kinds of problems many teenagers face in the reality of contemporary life. She has a difficult relationship with her mother, the stunning Queen Veda, who is fearful of Tatiana‘s hidden attractiveness. Veda thus creates an academy for girls, which she uses as a front to deal in Beauty, a beauty-killing drug, and manipulates the head-teacher into becoming the drug-pusher.
Many of the beautiful girls in the realm attend the school, including Tatiana’s own friends and, although Tatiana wants to be part of a peer group, she has to decide how she feels about their actions and reaction to Beauty and ultimately make her own choices, leading her to a final, emotionally-charged confrontation with her mother.
Difficult Questions Raised by the Author
Mirror, Mirror tells an emotional and fearless story of deception and betrayal, and of loyalty. But there is nothing cosy about the fantasy world portrayed here. Instead, Nancy Butcher addresses some poignant questions for young adults:
- What is beauty, and just how deep does it go? Is it on the surface, or is it derived from within?
- Is it right to follow the crowd, or should a person have enough inner strength to follow their own path?
- Should people always be told the truth, regardless of the repercussions which may ensue?
- Should a person remain loyal to someone who seems to do everything possible to cause hurt?
It also raises the most important contemporary issues of how beauty is portrayed and perceived by impressionable girls, and of drug-taking amongst young people, and it reflects most vividly the potential consequences of drug abuse, whilst avoiding the didactic approach.
Integrating the Cover Illustration Into the Story Theme
The cover artwork by Robert Ryan is particularly apt, coating a sugary pink cover in thorns. This is a very thorny plot, snagging the mind and the ethics of the main protagonist, Tatiana, at every possible turn. It is, indeed, a forest of thorns she must fight through to discover her true self, both inside and out, and defeat her enemy, her own mother, entirely. Even then, this defeat is heartbreaking, and not for those expecting a happy-ever-after ending.
The first person viewpoint ensnares the reader from the very beginning, into a world which is rich in fairytale setting, but speaks to the reader in an authentic, modern voice. It is certainly a novel which leaves an aftertaste, both for younger readers and adults alike, and will remain in the reader’s thoughts long after the book itself has been replaced on a shelf. The fairytale world will never seem the same again.
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