"Through a Clouded Mirror"

Miya T. Beck is a native Californian who always had a deep interest in the Japanese side of her heritage. Though she tried and failed to become fluent in Japanese, her studies did introduce her to the myths and fairy tales that inspired this novel. A former daily newspaper reporter and magazine writer, she lives in Brooklyn with her family.

Beck applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Through a Clouded Mirror, and reported the following:

In Through a Clouded Mirror, 12-year-old Yuki Snow escapes the difficulties of being the new kid in town by passing through a magic mirror to meet Sei Shonagon, the celebrated Japanese writer who served as an imperial attendant a thousand years ago. Page 69 lands in the middle of a tense scene at the imperial court. Yuki has just come to the defense of a page boy who has been sentenced to a harsh punishment for a minor infraction by the petulant emperor (the text in brackets is from the page before):

[“Might she also be the stranger in the most recent prophecy?”]

Yuki turned to see a man in a boxy black tunic with a leaf pattern sweep into the hall, trailed by a group of aides. He had the craggy good looks of an aging movie star.

“Which prophecy are you referring to, Regent Fujiwara?” the emperor asked sullenly.

“When the master of divination looked for auspicious days for the Chinese delegation to visit, he foresaw a stranger who would offer wise counsel,” the regent said.

“Yes, that’s right!” the empress exclaimed. “And Yuki is correct. You can change the rules.”

Having the regent and the empress agree with her is a pivotal moment. Yuki has spent the past few months at her new middle school feeling either invisible or misunderstood. But now, during her first audience with the power players at court, her opinion carries weight. One paragraph later, on page 70, Yuki experiences the validation that she’s been seeking:

As the guards released Nobu, he shot Yuki a dazed smile. She couldn’t believe it. They had listened to her. Back home, nobody ever listened to her. Not her mother. Not Julio. Certainly not her English teacher. She felt her shoulders relax as she stood a little straighter. She liked this feeling of being an influencer. Already Shonagon’s world was way better than Santa Dolores.

Unfortunately, page 69 does not include Shonagon, a colorful, witty character who plays a critical role in Yuki’s journey. She appears on page 68. Though I hate to take a hard line like the emperor and fault the Page 69 Test based on a few paragraphs in either direction, those are the rules that I have been given. If I had to grade the Page 69 Test, I would give it a B for this novel.

Visit Miya T. Beck's website.

--Marshal Zeringue