Through a Clouded Mirror by Miya T. Beck (review)

Reviewed by: Through a Clouded Mirror by Miya T. Beck Fiona Hartley-Kroeger Beck, Miya T. Through a Clouded Mirror. Balzer + Bray, 2024 [272p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063238244 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063238268 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 4-6 As Yuki Snow's thirteenth birthday approaches, changes in her life—her mother's remarriage, her stepdad's propensity for dad jokes, her best friend's radio silence, and a new school where nobody seems to value her literary talent—leave her feeling out of place and unappreciated. When Yuki's father was alive, they bonded over a love of all things literary, so when an antique shop mirror once owned by the writer Sei Shōnagon opens a portal to a fantasy Heian-era Japan, Yuki steps through and meets the famed author herself. Shōnagon needs Yuki to be her champion in a high-stakes poetry competition against the protégé of equally famed writer Murasaki Shikibu, and so Yuki plunges into a world of elegance and caprice where someone's life might depend upon a turn of phrase. Beck (The Pearl Hunter, BCCB 1/23) includes plenty of historical information about Heian poetry's intricate social functions, but aspiring poets may be disappointed by the lack of explanation of its formal and aesthetic characteristics, which also makes the poetry contest feel even more arbitrary than intended. Breathless homages to literary antecedents—Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, among others—are plentiful, even clever, but overshadow Yuki's emotional journey. Nonetheless, the novel should appeal to readers with an interest in Japanese history and a high tolerance for whimsy; certainly, it provides inspiration to delve into the works of Shōnagon and Murasaki. An author's note provides additional historical context and research sources.