What do you think?
Rate this book
Mirrors in the Dark
During a jaunt to Tijuana with his buddies in 1970, Randy "Scout" Monroe was looking forward to a day of partying while on summer break from college. After a few too many beers cloud the boys' judgment, they consider a tempting proposal to buy drugs from some local teens. When the drug dealers turn the transaction into an ambush the results are catastrophic and Scout ends up in an illegal prison cell for the next five years.
In 1980, five years after his escape from prison, Scout begins a journal that chronicles his experiences during his time in the rogue jail cell. He was held in solitary confinement the entire time and kept in total darkness. For five years Scout saw neither another person nor light but he developed a coping mechanism that helped him to survive the lack of human companionship and the pitch-black cell.
During the writing of his journal Scout clings to his mirrors in the dark even though his obsession has rendered him incapable of maintaining a relationship with his family or accepting a woman who loves him. His refusal to give up his attachment to the mirrors may also cost him his life.
In 1980, five years after his escape from prison, Scout begins a journal that chronicles his experiences during his time in the rogue jail cell. He was held in solitary confinement the entire time and kept in total darkness. For five years Scout saw neither another person nor light but he developed a coping mechanism that helped him to survive the lack of human companionship and the pitch-black cell.
During the writing of his journal Scout clings to his mirrors in the dark even though his obsession has rendered him incapable of maintaining a relationship with his family or accepting a woman who loves him. His refusal to give up his attachment to the mirrors may also cost him his life.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 1, 2016
William Graney’s ‘Mirrors in the Dark’ is a tale of fiction, imagination, and cognizance. It elevates an ordinary story to extraordinary. In spite of the few flaws, it creates an impression on the readers that isn’t easy to shed off and embarks on an unusual journey.
The book begins with a joyride turning into a nightmare and changing the lives of three college kids. We are offered the journal of one of the friends, Scout and his horrors of the past, and their reflection in shaping up his present life.
In 1952, the lives Scout, Dennis, and Paul are changed forever as they are misled into a shady drug scam. While Paul is ruthlessly killed, Dennis is shot in the foot but somehow manages to escape, and Scout finds himself in solitary confinement.
The book takes the help of fiction to bring out the intensity of characters. As Scout his thrown into the darkness, he tries hard to keep his clarity. It is about survival and hope, about coping with the darkness and finding comfort in them. Scout finds mysterious mirrors in the dark that help him survive.
As we progress Scout returns back from his confinement, he fails to leave behind the world of mirrors. This creates a distance between Scout and his family, he fails to make people believe in the existence of the mirror. As a reader, we are intrigued with the presence of mirrors. But it also brings in a shadow of the doubt, does the mirror actually help him or are they his psychological creation that push him away from the real world? We often question the sanity of Scout, and how the reel and real world merges into one.
The book describes how Scout tries to be normal again, be unknown to the mirrors. A new concept of diving inside the mirrors is introduced. William talks about the mirrors as a parallel world that raises a person above his desires. At a point, the readers are left with the brimming question of why and how these mirrors help Scout. Are they even real?
1
Apart from the single storyline of Scout, Graney tries to infuse humor with the introduction of characters like Gary and Gillian. They bring a happy relief to the reader. Moreover, Grace is a character that is simple yet sophisticated. The nurse who cares for the protagonist but there’s an invisible barrier between the two. The author has painted a canvas of emotions in the book – agony, affection, comfort, envy and anger. But not love, at least not in a conventional way.
Scout is loved by his family, his co-workers; he is lovable. Grace too loves him and so does Laura, but he cannot reciprocate their love. The temptations and desires are ineffective because of the sensations that the mirrors have created in him.
“Imagine if you could have the greatest sexual experience and magnify it times a billion”
Amidst the journey, William has integrated several sections describing God and Devil. Without arriving at any conclusion, it touches upon the presence of the unknown and how beyond scientific explanations there exists a supernatural. The book doesn’t promote any religious ideals but it talks about the god inside of us or maybe of the faith that we believe in. And even from the perspective of an atheist, the encounters are enlightening and leaves an afterthought.
The journal has been passed on from Scout to Richard and finally to Laura. A very captivating character of the book is Laura. Initially, we think she is the flirtatious girl having an infatuation for the mysterious Scout. But there’s definitely more to her.
The minor negativity of the book are the few unnecessary exaggerations that make book slow-paced. The descriptions are engaging but twenty fewer pages and Mirrors would have been more compact. The book is a multi-layered composition with each character developing gradually and finally as the interest of the reader is piqued the characters tend to show different colors.
However, the little negativity is negligible when faced with the immense appreciation that any reader would have from reading it. A usual book is one that is about drama or mystery or love, but mirrors have all the ingredients that make it the recipe for a good read. It expresses desires, uncovers hidden secrets, exhibits stunning revelation, but most of all it makes a reader think. William Graney has found all the pieces of a masterpiece and has almost succeeded in creating one, leaving the readers to the edge of their seats.
The book begins with a joyride turning into a nightmare and changing the lives of three college kids. We are offered the journal of one of the friends, Scout and his horrors of the past, and their reflection in shaping up his present life.
In 1952, the lives Scout, Dennis, and Paul are changed forever as they are misled into a shady drug scam. While Paul is ruthlessly killed, Dennis is shot in the foot but somehow manages to escape, and Scout finds himself in solitary confinement.
The book takes the help of fiction to bring out the intensity of characters. As Scout his thrown into the darkness, he tries hard to keep his clarity. It is about survival and hope, about coping with the darkness and finding comfort in them. Scout finds mysterious mirrors in the dark that help him survive.
As we progress Scout returns back from his confinement, he fails to leave behind the world of mirrors. This creates a distance between Scout and his family, he fails to make people believe in the existence of the mirror. As a reader, we are intrigued with the presence of mirrors. But it also brings in a shadow of the doubt, does the mirror actually help him or are they his psychological creation that push him away from the real world? We often question the sanity of Scout, and how the reel and real world merges into one.
The book describes how Scout tries to be normal again, be unknown to the mirrors. A new concept of diving inside the mirrors is introduced. William talks about the mirrors as a parallel world that raises a person above his desires. At a point, the readers are left with the brimming question of why and how these mirrors help Scout. Are they even real?
1
Apart from the single storyline of Scout, Graney tries to infuse humor with the introduction of characters like Gary and Gillian. They bring a happy relief to the reader. Moreover, Grace is a character that is simple yet sophisticated. The nurse who cares for the protagonist but there’s an invisible barrier between the two. The author has painted a canvas of emotions in the book – agony, affection, comfort, envy and anger. But not love, at least not in a conventional way.
Scout is loved by his family, his co-workers; he is lovable. Grace too loves him and so does Laura, but he cannot reciprocate their love. The temptations and desires are ineffective because of the sensations that the mirrors have created in him.
“Imagine if you could have the greatest sexual experience and magnify it times a billion”
Amidst the journey, William has integrated several sections describing God and Devil. Without arriving at any conclusion, it touches upon the presence of the unknown and how beyond scientific explanations there exists a supernatural. The book doesn’t promote any religious ideals but it talks about the god inside of us or maybe of the faith that we believe in. And even from the perspective of an atheist, the encounters are enlightening and leaves an afterthought.
The journal has been passed on from Scout to Richard and finally to Laura. A very captivating character of the book is Laura. Initially, we think she is the flirtatious girl having an infatuation for the mysterious Scout. But there’s definitely more to her.
The minor negativity of the book are the few unnecessary exaggerations that make book slow-paced. The descriptions are engaging but twenty fewer pages and Mirrors would have been more compact. The book is a multi-layered composition with each character developing gradually and finally as the interest of the reader is piqued the characters tend to show different colors.
However, the little negativity is negligible when faced with the immense appreciation that any reader would have from reading it. A usual book is one that is about drama or mystery or love, but mirrors have all the ingredients that make it the recipe for a good read. It expresses desires, uncovers hidden secrets, exhibits stunning revelation, but most of all it makes a reader think. William Graney has found all the pieces of a masterpiece and has almost succeeded in creating one, leaving the readers to the edge of their seats.
December 18, 2015
Mirrors in the Dark is a very interesting story about how one bad choice can change your life forever. William Graney tells the story so well that I felt that I was in the cell with Scout at times. A very thought-provoking and entertaining book!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews