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The Wrong Reflection
by Gillian Bradshaw
(Ace Books, US $6.50 / Canada $9.99, 362 pages, paperback; 2003. First
published 2000.)
 Five
stars.
This is one of those books where I can't tell you a great deal about
it without blowing most of what makes it so good. What I can tell you
is that it's a strikingly original work of science fiction, and the
most heart-wrenching romance I've read since Christie Golden's Instrument
of Fate. It tells what is essentially a hard science story through
the soft lens of sociology, a flawless marriage of these two ends of
the SF spectrum. Run out and spend your lunch money on this book.
The story begins when Sandra Murray discovers a car half-sunk in a
river. Inside the car she finds a man, whom she rescues and manages
to revive. Yet when he awakes in the hospital, the victim feels out
of place -- certain of nothing except that he is not Paul Anderson,
as his identification declares him and everyone else believes him to
be. Curious about what happened to the man she rescued, Sandra tracks
him down in the hospital and gets involved with his search for his true
identity.
What begins as a classic motif -- amnesia, misplaced identity, a quest
for the truth -- soon evolves into something infinitely deeper. The
mystery is presented with flawless detail and fidelity, and the ultimate
nature of Not-Anderson's identity completely blindsided me. (It's rare
that an author manages to surprise me, after all the fiction I've read;
and I cherish the experience when I do find it.) Yet on re-reading the
novel, all the early material fits with the eventual resolution.
The characterization in this book is also brilliant. Despite his amnesiac
state, Not-Anderson emerges as a fully-realized and unique individual
from the moment he regains consciousness. He demonstrates specific,
consistent personality traits that hint at his true nature; as the story
progresses, he also grows a great deal, learning to balance logic with
emotion. Sandra begins as a "Good Samaritan" but rapidly reveals an
underlying band of common sense to go with her compassion. She is the
first person to take Not-Anderson's feelings and convictions seriously.
As other supporting characters come onstage, they each exhibit their
own particular quirks, ranging from steadfast loyalty to blind hatred.
The Wrong Reflection transcends both genre and motif. It takes
several classic story elements and does something new and extraordinary
with them. The result is a must-read for fans of soft and hard SF alike.
Review by Elizabeth Barrette.
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