Maguire is at it once again, that is, taking familiar tales and twisting them. In his previous novel, “Wicked,” he retold the story of the “Wizard of Oz” from the point of view of the Wicked Witch. In “Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister,” he gave us “Cinderella” from the ugly stepsister’s perspective. In this novel, it is “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” that gets the treatment.
Unlike the other two novels, Maguire doesn’t stick to one point of view in “Mirror, Mirror.” Instead, he changes from character to character, letting even the most minor of them share their view of events. Because of his well-drawn characters, this does not become confusing in the least. Instead, it adds to the plot.
Haven’t you wanted to know why the huntsman was willing to take an innocent girl out and fake her murder? And what did the dwarves think of what was happening? Even more, how could her father have been so blind to the kind of woman the stepmother was?
Maguire gives his answer to all of those questions and more. In his version, the woman is Snow White’s guardian and not her stepmother. And she is Lucrezia Borgia, well-known poisoner. The reason Snow White is left to her tender mercies is that Lucrezia’s brother, Cesare, orders Snow White’s father off to reclaim a branch of the original Tree of Knowledge. With Cesare at the height of his power, to refuse him would mean certain death. Of course, looking for a branch of the original Tree of Knowledge pretty much guarantees death also.
However, in return for running this errand, Cesare promises Vicente that his land and daughter will be well cared for until his return. This is not an assurance Vicente will get if he refuses Cesare. With no other choice, Vicente leaves his daughter and farm behind and sets off on the task.
Cesare leaves the running of the farm and the care of Snow White in the hands of a steward and tells Lucrezia to check in for him occasionally to see how both are doing. All goes well with this benign neglect for several years, until Cesare’s fortunes turn and he ends up back at the farm with his sister. There he notices that Snow White has grown into a beautiful young woman who has no one to protect her. Lucrezia notices this and her brother’s interest in the girl as well.
The dwarves of Maguire’s story are not the cute, friendly fellows we are familiar with through Disney movies. Rather they more closely resemble elemental spirits, or animated rocks. It is their proximity to people, or perhaps just the hopes and dreams of people, that renders them more human.
Maguire has taken a fresh look at an old story that has long been consigned to children’s literature and produced a novel that, while answering some of the questions the original asked, does not hesitate to ask some of its’ own. This is definitely not a book that will ever be made into a Disney movie.
Lisa Dees is a Raleigh freelance writer.
