Battle of the Books - Cameron Lily

"When Alexis Liddell Byrd was seven, the church gave her a mirror; or rather, they sold it to her. . . ."

So begins Liddell's story. Told from the perspective of the Gods, the story challenges us to take a wider view of the problems, challenges, laughter, and joy that is everyday life. Set against the backdrop of the Iraq Invasion and the Wikileaks disclosures, the questions are posed, "What is truth? What is reality?"

Liddell's early years are transient. Much time is spent struggling to survive. The mirror is given little thought.

As an eventual single parent of three, she has had little time for romance. However, in her forties she reconnects with an old flame and is swept off her feet. Fate appears to guide her towards a new life in Melbourne with Flash and their blended children. While establishing a new life is challenging, there is an ease and feeling of guidance that confirms the "rightness" of her decision. She gets a factory job and it seems that the past struggles may be behind them as they embrace this more carefree lifestyle.

Liddell views her life from a romantic, creative sense expressed in musings and poetry but when tragedy strikes, she sets out to unravel the reasons that led to the disaster. In the process, she begins to wonder if her musings and poetry are unravelling the World.

The old mirror takes on a new significance and the reflection she sees is often disturbing.

Set in Melbourne, Country Victoria, Australia; and New Zealand, the story crosses centuries and cultures with perspectives shifting between characters. By the last curtain call, a new question remains, are we moved by Fate or rather Free Will?