Mirror Never Lies

Customer Reviews

3 reviews

• MD

  Read this book recently at a Toronto reading.In Mirror Never Lies, author Jitu Ji delivers a beautifully structured and deeply vulnerable exploration of life, sexuality, and the modern dating landscape. Hailing from India and having traveled across the globe, Jitu Ji draws upon a wealth of worldly experience to craft a brilliantly impactful chronicle of his life as a gay man. Set primarily against the backdrop of Toronto, with glimpses into cities like Washington, D.C., the book is an immersive, reflective journey through the complexities of human connection.The first half of the book serves as a highly engaging personal memoir. The author candidly charts his navigation of modern dating, the pervasive use of connection apps, and the inevitable highs and lows of the partners he meets along the way. Particularly compelling are his thoughtful reflections on loneliness and the distinct challenges of trying to date and connect during the COVID-19 pandemic. His tone throughout is grounded, sincere, and effortlessly draws the reader into his lived reality.Rather than bogging the reader down, the author expertly distills his rich background and international travels into a concise, fast-paced narrative. It is a wonderfully focused memoir that packs a significant emotional punch, leaving you thoroughly captivated by his journey.Mirror Never Lies features an innovative two-books-in-one experience that sets it apart from traditional memoirs. The second half creatively pivots into a ten-chapter short story that loosely fictionalizes the author’s real-world experiences. Here, we follow a character named Brian as he goes about his daily life in Toronto, grappling with past relationships and emotional insecurities.This structural choice is a masterstroke, allowing the book to serve as a fascinating "what if" scenario that translates raw, autobiographical facts into a deeply emotive narrative. The emotional resonance here is profound. Brian’s longing for love is palpable, and the author succeeds effortlessly at delivering a poignant, character-driven arc that will resonate with anyone who has ever searched for their other half.The book draws to a close with a curated selection of beautiful seasonal images that hold deep personal significance to the author, adding a wonderful artistic touch to this intimate collection.Mirror Never Lies is a highly engaging, dynamic read from start to finish. Jitu Ji displays immense literary talent, particularly in his unique ability to seamlessly blend honest non-fiction with reflective, heartfelt storytelling.Highly Recommended

• Michael

  This little book is well worth the read for anyone who wants a perspective on a large gay subculture in Toronto and even more for those who live in it or have tried to live in it. But it goes far beyond that. While it claims not to be autobiographical, it appears to draw on lived experience presented in the raw. No punches are pulled portraying a social culture that can draw people in and spit them out. The book portrays a total outsider, Brian, someone from a distant country, trying to find his way in his new home. He is met with varying and often discouraging degrees of acceptance while navigating social media aps, clubs, gyms, social groups and the workplace. He rises above the culture in the way he rises above a relationship with someone who appears to him to be his ideal: his polar opposite in age, skin color, physique and social status. While longing to belong, Brian refuses to be owned. He belongs to himself. By the time you finish reading you will realize that this book is about the struggle experienced by anyone looking in the mirror and feeling they do not fit in. After all the mirror never lies. The book is not only about Brian/Jitu. You may find that it’s about you. Mirror Never Lies has a unique dual structure and the writing, too, is unique. It embraces without apology the fact that author’s first language is not English. There’s even a chapter on thinking in different languages that emphasizes this. This book would be good reading on a summer afternoon and perfect for your book club. You can count on everyone having their own perspective on it!

• HMK

  This book is very well written and perfectly captures the need to belong as a gay south Asian man in Toronto. Brian’s relationship with his father, mother and grandmother were very important here as it really shaped who he is and what he really wants. I especially relate to his connection with his grandmom and his mother not trusting him enough to make his own life choices. It was also incredible to read the characters development and reflection from each relationship. They might have not been the best partners to him, but he’s really learnt from each experience.

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