Lola in the Mirror

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, death by suicide, and addiction.

The opening sketch depicts a girl standing in a kitchen opposite a man with the head of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The drawing is dated two years before the protagonist is shot, and it is described as the first in the period known as “Girls on the Lam.” The unnamed narrator, who is later revealed to be Iris Gould but ultimately chooses to go by the name Lola, describes how her mother once danced the Tyrannosaurus Waltz with her father, who threatened to kill the woman. In the “dance,” the monster blocks Lola’s mother. It could end in various ways, but ultimately, the woman stabs the monster’s throat, allowing her and the girl to flee. Lola’s mother declares that the girl will not dance with monsters, only a prince.

The sketch is of a mirror. In it, a woman sits near the Eiffel Tower with her back to the viewer. The bottom of the glass reflects the protagonist’s legs. The museum label dates the drawing 18 months before the artist meets Danny Collins, her love. The label describes the scrapyard as the artist’s home.