The Looking Glass
The Looking Glass by Michèle Roberts, published by Virago in 2001, is a contemporary work of literature that spans 277 pages. The story follows Genevieve, an orphan who serves as a maid to Madame Patin in a seaside café. As she becomes immersed in her mistress’s unsettling folk tales, particularly one about a mermaid who embodies both beauty and monstrosity, Genevieve navigates her daily tasks while absorbing the complexities of her surroundings.
Readers will find a narrative that explores themes of beauty, identity, and transformation as Genevieve matures into a figure of allure. Her journey leads her to a poet whose relationships with the women in his life are intricate and multifaceted. The book delves into the dynamics of power and desire, showcasing Genevieve’s struggle to escape the fate that looms over her as she seeks her own path.
Official synopsis Publisher
In her place as maid to Madame Patin in the cafe next to the sea, orphan Genevieve becomes the breathless audience for her mistress’s alarming folk stories, beginning with the one about the mermaid – the beauty who is also a monster – who must be killed. Genevieve happily falls into the patterns and ways of Madame Patin and contentedly cooks, cleans, gardens and serves the customers alongside her. Until, that is, Genevieve ripens to siren beauty. To avoid the mermaid’s fate she must take flight. And she does, to a poet who has the hearts of all his women: his mother, his mistress, his niece, his niece’s governess – and before long, his new maid’s.
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