Do be aware that there are lots of very steamy romantic scenes in Mirror, so this book is not for those seeking strictly G-rated reading. There are also several mentions of violence: physical and emotional harm, as well as deep-dives into weighty issues such as racism, self-harm, abuse, and sexism. Throughout the novel, Muna develops many short-lived relationships, with the longest being her uncomfortable acquaintance with Yagiz. Why do you think these relation- ships are transient, and what do you think the author is trying to convey in her relationship with Yagiz? There's one thing to have a cliffhanger where I know there's going to be a second book, but to just end the story after revealing everything in the last chapter is cruel. I HATE when authors do this. It's disrespectful to the reader IMO. To my two beautiful kids, all I do, I do for you so we’re having the uncomfortable conversations in society that will finally create the fertile soil for you to fully bloom and thrive.

Book Genre: Adult, Adult Fiction, Book Club, Contemporary, Cultural, Feminism, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Race, Sweden Outfit choices and fashion become pivotal in Mirror, as they are so linked in the story to identity, culture, and body image. I was particularly moved by the description of how a bold dress that made Kemi feel powerful was seen as jarring and over-the-top to her Swedish colleagues. With that being said, I disliked Johnny from the beginning. I knew there was something slimy and manipulative about him. He's a creepy stalker who anchored himself in Brittany's life (and she let him *shakes head in abject disappointment*), got her pregnant, lured her to his country to isolate her, and married her, all to feed his disturbing obsession with his dead ex-girlfriend. He convinced Brittany to name (unbeknownst to her) their daughter after her! Wtf! And then ultimately holds their daughter as leverage to keep Brittany from leaving Sweden. An evil mastermind, I tell you! He never fooled me with his innocent act. A chance meeting with Jonny in business class en route to the U.S. propels former model-turned-flight-attendant Brittany-Rae Johnson into a life of wealth, luxury, and privilege–a life she’s not sure she wants–as the object of his unhealthy obsession.

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The first 3 chapters introduce the 3 main characters and at this point, i couldn't tell you who i loved more. Immediately each one was intriguing me, their stories all so different, yet all linked with one particular aspect. Given Lola’s experience as a travel writer and photographer, it’s no surprise that architecture and cityscapes are meticulously characterized in the novel. I especially loved reveling in the decor of Jonny’s many homes. Kemi seems like she has a good job and her story will revolve around that, Brittany is a flight attendant for business class and her first chapter was so interesting! Finally Muna, a refugee and a Muslim aswell so instantly i connected with her. Speaking of “faults” being superpowers, I can’t stop thinking about the character of Jonny. As an educator, I work with many students on the Autism spectrum, and I’ve never seen someone with this characteristic depicted in a novel so fully — nor have I before seen such an accurate portrayal of the ways that ignoring, hiding, or denying a person’s special needs causes harm.

Looking into divorce in Sweden isn’t what former model-turned-flight attendant Brittany-Rae von Lundin anticipated. Only jointly owned assets are split evenly between couples. Brittany gave up her career and came with nothing into Jonny’s kingdom. Having had a child with him, her greatest fear for Maya includes being cut off from the resources she’s become accustomed to. With a man obsessed with a ghost, trying to get away isn’t going to be easy. And the deeper she digs into his past, the darker the secrets she unravels. And refugee Muna Saheed, who lost her entire family, finds a job cleaning the toilets at Jonny's office as she works to establish her residency in Sweden and, more importantly, seeks connection and a place she can call home. A brief example - Kemi an educated Nigerian woman with low self esteem who gave her body freely to a married racist man randomly, Britney a model and flight attendant left her long term partner for a stalker just because he’s rich and white, Muna was also obsessed with a man who she wasn’t in a relationship with (a Kurd refugee), and the Somali representation here was really bad.. Muna was the jilbab wearing, uneducated, refugee cleaner, to me the rep of her Somali roommates and the Somali Swedish community showed prejudice from the author. I think I was surprised by how much these stories seemed wrapped up in isolation and loneliness. I found Kemi’s storyline to be the most relatable, while Muna’s was the most engaging (at least for a while), and Brittany-Rae’s was certainly the most bizarre. This all seemed very purposeful. The theme of friendship was rather on the bitter side; right from the beginning when Kemi’s friend turned out to be jealous it went downhill from there. I went in with the expectation that when the three main characters meet it’d be a good thing.The author, Lola Akinmade Åkerström (who I’ve been following for years as a travel blogger) is a Nigerian-American woman who has lived in both Sweden and America, and thus brings a depth of experience to the novel which few others could pull off. What is It Like to Read? Brittany-Rae is tired of serving others. She's determined not to struggle like her parents did. As a flight attendant, she's seen the way the super-wealthy float, untouchable and easy, and she envies it. As a model in her 20s, she had a taste of that privilege. Now pushing 40, she knows that to have one kind of freedom, she must sacrifice another.

Well I had to sleep over my emotions before writing this review. I had this as a gift from a friend Even as a white American woman who has immigrated to Sweden, these characters spoke to cultural exclusion I’ve experienced where my (white American) husband thrives. The stark difference being that he was recruited for a high level position (similar to Kemi’s story) and I followed. This puts me in a position closer to Muna’s, where I struggle to find steady employment, despite an American university degree and fluency in English - advantages that Muna doesn’t have. I think she wanted to do something new and different, she was young and had no reason not to. If I had been in her position I would have wanted to do the same thing too. - gaylamath I just want to send a request to all authors. . . . please don't waste my time with a story you never intended to finish. I don't need an HEA and things wrapped up in a pretty bow. Real life doesn't work that way therefore, I don't expect it in books. There is no need to finally divulge information that’s life altering and then end the book. WTF?!?!?!It’s been a long time since I’ve been so thoroughly engrossed in a book. I ended up finishing it in just a few days because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I stole every moment possible (between my teaching job, running this blog, and parenting young kids) to find out what happened next! The colorful cover of the novel.