Lola in the Mirror

Lola in the Mirror (2023) by Trent Dalton follows an unnamed teenage protagonist who is unhoused and grapples with a tragic past. Presenting a detailed picture of Brisbane’s housing crisis and the city’s criminal underbelly, Dalton infuses the narrative with artwork and magic realism elements, illuminating the difficulties of growing up in traumatic circumstances. Winner of the 2024 Australian Book Industry Award for Literary Fiction of the Year, Lola in the Mirror explores themes of The Struggle for Identity Amid Adversity, Resilience of the Human Spirit, and Art as Reflection and Redemption.

This guide refers to the 2023 Harper Perennial print edition of the text.

Content Warning: The source material features depictions of sexual violence and harassment, child death, suicidal ideation, self-harm, death by suicide, substance use, addiction, graphic violence, and racism.

Language Note: The source text uses anti-Indigenous slurs to refer to Indigenous Australians, which this guide does not replicate.

Plot Summary

An unnamed female protagonist, who eventually calls herself Lola, has been on the run with her mother for her entire life. Currently, they reside in a scrapyard van in Brisbane.