Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear : A Novel

Publishers Weekly - Cahners\\Publishers_Weekly

Tender and funny and sometimes jolting, this is a first novel of remarkable accomplishment. It tells of a young, thoughtful photographer, Harriet Rose, her newfound love for a young artist and a few surreal weeks in her life when she goes to Geneva to stay with an old friend, Anne Gordon, who is embroiled in a deeply unsuitable affair with a married man. Both of them had childhoods scarred by tragic loss: Harriet is kept afloat by humor, her art (she is obsessed with reflected images) and her love for levelheaded Benedict Thorne; but Anne drowns in desperate aloneness, snatching at selfish lust as love. In outline it sounds like a grim tale, but in fact Weber's sly and prickly wit, her delight in the farcical aspects of the most tragic situations and her sure sense of the rewards-and limits-of feminine friendship cast a life-enhancing glow over the proceedings. Her elegant narrative voice, rife with little puns and pop-culture throwaways, can cope equally well with a darkly hilarious account of growing up in Queens and the shenanigans of a deeply selfish Auschwitz survivor. There may, as in many first novels, be personal material here, but if so it has been alchemized into something decidedly rich and strange. It will be fascinating to see what Weber does next.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Tender and funny and sometimes jolting, this is a first novel of remarkable accomplishment. It tells of a young, thoughtful photographer, Harriet Rose, her newfound love for a young artist and a few surreal weeks in her life when she goes to Geneva to stay with an old friend, Anne Gordon, who is embroiled in a deeply unsuitable affair with a married man. Both of them had childhoods scarred by tragic loss: Harriet is kept afloat by humor, her art (she is obsessed with reflected images) and her love for levelheaded Benedict Thorne; but Anne drowns in desperate aloneness, snatching at selfish lust as love. In outline it sounds like a grim tale, but in fact Weber's sly and prickly wit, her delight in the farcical aspects of the most tragic situations and her sure sense of the rewards-and limits-of feminine friendship cast a life-enhancing glow over the proceedings. Her elegant narrative voice, rife with little puns and pop-culture throwaways, can cope equally well with a darkly hilarious account of growing up in Queens and the shenanigans of a deeply selfish Auschwitz survivor. There may, as in many first novels, be personal material here, but if so it has been alchemized into something decidedly rich and strange. It will be fascinating to see what Weber does next. (Apr.)

Library Journal

Harriet is a photographer who has won a travel grant to Geneva. There, she stays with her former Eighth Street roommate, Anne, who is working for an international business whose function is unclear. Harriet writes to her lover, Benedict, about her concern for her friend: Anne has changed. She is having an affair with a married man who survived Auschwitz with her father and seems confused and sad. Harriet's picture-taking allows her to see through the lens what is not visible to the eye as she looks at her life and that of her friend. She reminds us that what is seen in mirrors may offer a distorted view of reality. This well-written first novel combines both tragedy and a happily-ever-after conclusion. Recommended.-Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Providence

Alice Joyce

Weber's novel is compelling from the outset, due in large part to an enchantingly vulnerable, articulate, clever, yet candid protagonist, Harriet Rose, a photographer enjoying both the accolades of the New York art world and a delirious new love (who appears to be "the one" ). With breathtaking intensity, Harriet's journal entries reveal the quandary of her visit to Geneva, where closest friend Anne is having an affair with a married man, a survivor of Auschwitz. Having left Benedict behind in the U.S., Harriet can only ruminate in writing as to the meaning of Anne's confusing new life. Then, Weber digresses; pondering Harriet's own disturbing family secrets, glimpsing Anne's darkest thoughts, and finally, bringing Harriet and Benedict back together for the dramatic conclusion. This well-crafted debut heralds a masterly fiction writer.

Andrew Solomon

With vibrancy and a steady barrage of linguistic brio,...Webber relies upon artistry and insight far beyond what we usually see in a first novel. -- San Francisco Chronicle

Elizabeth Benedict

Engaging...Ms. Webber's nuance renderings of childhood traumas, of families in crisis, and of Harriet's grandmother are impressive. -- The New York Times Book Review