The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser
"The Mirror" is a captivating tale that intertwines elements of time travel, horror, and family saga. The story centers on two young women, Brandy and Shay, who are mysteriously switched into each other's bodies and eras on the eve of their weddings due to a sinister mirror. Shay finds herself in 1900, living the life of her grandmother Brandy, who is facing the challenges of an arranged marriage, societal expectations, and personal loss. As Shay navigates this unfamiliar world, she learns to adapt to the past's stark realities while yearning to return to her own time.
The narrative explores themes of identity, love, and generational connections as Brandy, now in Shay's body, struggles with modern life and unexpected motherhood. The plot thickens with the introduction of family dynamics, including Brandy's second, more fulfilling marriage and Shay's journey to understand her own past. The story culminates with the return of the mysterious mirror, hinting at the potential for further disruption in their lives. Overall, "The Mirror" offers a rich blend of gothic elements and emotional depth, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of heritage and the ties that bind families across time.
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Subject Terms
The Mirror
First published: 1978
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—time travel
Time of work: 1900-1978
Locale: Boulder, Colorado, and its vicinity
The Plot
The Mirror blends time travel, personality transfer, horror, family saga, and gothic elements into an absorbing tale. On the eve of their respective weddings, two young women are transported into each other’s bodies and eras by a sinister mirror. Longing to return to their own times, both Brandy and Shay must stay and live out their relative’s life.
Shay Garrett awakes in 1900, inhabiting her grandmother Brandy McCabe’s body. Other shocks hit her quickly: an arranged marriage, Corbin Strock’s rude miner’s shack, epidemics, and early deaths. Corbin is not unkind to his bride, but he is distant and preoccupied. His mother, Thora K., likes Shay as Brandy. Others label Brandy crazy, but Thora K. attributes her glimpses of the future to “the sight.” Shay gradually adapts to living as Brandy, without electricity, plumbing, or telephones. She still hopes to leave, however, and persuades Corbin to bring her the mysterious mirror.
The mirror hums and reflects faraway scenes but does nothing more. Finally, Corbin, suspicious of its strange effects, hides it away in his mine. Later, he dies setting a dynamite charge in the mine. At about the same time, Shay realizes that Brandy is pregnant. The baby dies of pneumonia two weeks after birth.
Hutch Maddon, a wagoneer whom she met on her wedding journey, starts courting Brandy. As Shay, she knew Hutch as her grandfather. A strange tension builds between them.
Brandy’s second marriage turns out much happier than her first. Hutch’s ranch prospers as he and his daredevil brother Lon turn trouble into opportunity. Unlike the dour Corbin, Hutch does not find his wife unladylike when she enjoys their lovemaking.
Brandy and Hutch have twin sons and a daughter, Rachael. Rachael grows up in rural Colorado, protected from the worst Depression hardships. The community thinks her mother “tetched” because of her foresight. Worse, her mother is aloof in some way the girl cannot explain.
When Hutch has a heart attack, Brandy unsuccessfully attempts to resuscitate him; she is believed to be unhinged by grief. Rachael’s grandmother Sophie dies in 1945, leaving the Gingerbread House to Rachael. Brandy, restless, sets off to travel. Jerry Garrett, whom Rachael knew in childhood, enters the University of Colorado on the G.I. Bill. Jerry and Rachael eventually marry.
The evening that Shay, their daughter, is born, Brandy suffers a stroke. She loses her speech and mind. Shay grows up. At the age of twenty, she plans to marry Marek Weir, mostly out of boredom. As she stands before the mirror, it cracks. Shay is transported back in time. Brandy, desperately seeking to avoid marrying Corbin, transports into Shay’s body. The ninety-eight-year-old Grandma Bran dies.
Shay’s wedding is postponed. Brandy has a difficult time in Shay’s era. She must learn how to perform such basic activities as showering and shaving her legs from television commercials. Her psychiatrist is baffled.
Realizing that Shay is pregnant, Brandy runs away. She stays with an old hermit until her twin boys are born. A frantic Rachael and Jerry discover the diary Shay kept in the early 1900’s. Jerry locates “Shay” shortly afterward, takes her home, and assures her that they love her regardless of her real identity. Marek visits the babies. He and Brandy begin to fall in love. Meanwhile, the mirror, stolen from the Gingerbread House, prepares to work its mischief elsewhere.