What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mirror Image of Sound: A novel in real time
Dan is a quiet, decent but hen-pecked lawyer working in a small private firm in Perth, Western Australia - and living a caricature of a life.His wife is a narcissistic gold-digger whose spending habits are leading the family towards bankruptcy.His "best friend" Brad has only one real an ability to use Dan's kindness to ensure his own self-promotion.His boss Mr Dixon is an overbearing tyrant.Even his domineering mother, his meek father, his spiteful in-laws, and psychotic clients manage to get in on the act. Just when things couldn't seem to get any worse, Dan's only real beacon of hope - his favourite (and, it turns out, very rich) Uncle Frank - dies from a sudden heart attack. And to rub salt in the wounds, Frank bequeaths his entire estate to a complete stranger - "Fenyops Pikkeljig" - leaving Dan only a pair of scuffed snakeskin "achey breaky heart" boots.But is Frank really dead? Clues at his house suggest otherwise.What lurks in the hidden basement? And who is this "Fenyops Pikkeljig" anyway?Join Dan and his best friend, Bugsy the droopy-eyed cat, as they unravel Frank's labyrinthine secrets, meet the exotic and mysterious Justine, and ultimately get a glimpse into the true meaning of love, life, the universe and everything.
477 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2014
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 29, 2014
What would you do if you found a way of copying yourself and, in doing so, change the direction of your life? What if your wife were a two-timing gold-digger and your boss a tyrant? What if you had to sit back and watch your feckless colleague promoted on the back of your efforts? In The Mirror Image of Sound, we witness the Walter Mitty-esque hero dealing with all of these questions, and it is a deeply satisfying experience.
Djurdjevic mentions in the epilogue that he spent many years working on this project, and it shows. The writing is mature and engaging. It is a debut novel but the prose is that of a seasoned author. It normally takes an age for me to read hard-copy books. I “read” an audio book every week, but ink and paper is another matter. It is a testament to the author’s story-telling that I finished this in what is, for me, record time. I found myself looking for excuses to read just one more entry so that I could find out what happens next. The author has the kind of unobtrusive voice that allows you to get on and enjoy the story.
The format is that of a journal, which works extremely well. You get a sense of immediacy—that there is no going back. Each decision feels fresh and compelling. I got a real sense of sharing the author’s journey. I empathised with his burdens and rejoiced in his victories. The villains are thoroughly convincing and never over-the-top. Each one makes you want to reach into the page and wring their necks. Add to this a sprinkling of humour. I laughed out loud at “Jum’s” accent. The author has a knack for describing various accents in a way that is easy to read and very realistic.
My only criticism is that Daniel is portrayed as being almost too good, which made some of his later decisions seem callous. Perhaps this was done on purpose, as a side-effect of the sound booth, but I think the author should have played his niceness down a little, or perhaps kept some of it for the end. It was a little like watching Walter Mitty change into Lex Luthor, without any trace of Mitty left over to show us he was still the same person. This, however, is a minor point and did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
I highly recommend The Mirror Image of Sound this book to anyone who feels like their wheels are stuck in a rut and who dreams of an opportunity to change the direction of his life.
P.S. For Christian readers: there are are quite a few F-bombs in the book.
Djurdjevic mentions in the epilogue that he spent many years working on this project, and it shows. The writing is mature and engaging. It is a debut novel but the prose is that of a seasoned author. It normally takes an age for me to read hard-copy books. I “read” an audio book every week, but ink and paper is another matter. It is a testament to the author’s story-telling that I finished this in what is, for me, record time. I found myself looking for excuses to read just one more entry so that I could find out what happens next. The author has the kind of unobtrusive voice that allows you to get on and enjoy the story.
The format is that of a journal, which works extremely well. You get a sense of immediacy—that there is no going back. Each decision feels fresh and compelling. I got a real sense of sharing the author’s journey. I empathised with his burdens and rejoiced in his victories. The villains are thoroughly convincing and never over-the-top. Each one makes you want to reach into the page and wring their necks. Add to this a sprinkling of humour. I laughed out loud at “Jum’s” accent. The author has a knack for describing various accents in a way that is easy to read and very realistic.
My only criticism is that Daniel is portrayed as being almost too good, which made some of his later decisions seem callous. Perhaps this was done on purpose, as a side-effect of the sound booth, but I think the author should have played his niceness down a little, or perhaps kept some of it for the end. It was a little like watching Walter Mitty change into Lex Luthor, without any trace of Mitty left over to show us he was still the same person. This, however, is a minor point and did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
I highly recommend The Mirror Image of Sound this book to anyone who feels like their wheels are stuck in a rut and who dreams of an opportunity to change the direction of his life.
P.S. For Christian readers: there are are quite a few F-bombs in the book.
March 2, 2025
The Mirror Image of Sound, A Novel Written in Real Time gives us several levels to absorb in one book: the portrait of a failed marriage, martial arts action, workplace and domestic bullying, a philosophy and possible science of alternate worlds, or parellel lives, if you like; and there is even a romance. It would become a classic of it's kind but only for the fact that it is the one novel of its kind I believe to exist, particularly as it was written in real time - of which more later. I feel fortunate to have read it.
We are at first spiralled down into a black comedy of a disintegrating personality. Because much of the daily detail is horribly familiar to the experiences you and I have also endured and yearned to escape, we can't help following Dan, the hapless hero, through his ghastly days with the boss from hell, the friend from purgatory and the wife from nightmares.
Only Dan’s Uncle Frank seems to care about him. But when Frank suddenly dies, Dan finds himself being manipulated from beyond the grave. Exhausted by the demands on him, Dan wrestles with mounting debt, the scorn of his relatives, a mystery basement filled by sound equipment with peculiar instructions, and the curious case of Bugsy, the droopy-eyed cat, who simply vanishes.
If only Dan could vanish too - to a whole new life: new house, new friends, new job, new love affair. Have you not toyed with such a dream?
This science-fiction tale warps within inner space, the infinite space of Self. As you barrel through it, you will not only learn Dan's chosen path but also be whisked across useful tips on how to create your own band, how to make Balkan moussaka, and how to totally destroy a front lawn. There is also a heartfelt homage to the music of The Hunters and Collectors.
We are at first spiralled down into a black comedy of a disintegrating personality. Because much of the daily detail is horribly familiar to the experiences you and I have also endured and yearned to escape, we can't help following Dan, the hapless hero, through his ghastly days with the boss from hell, the friend from purgatory and the wife from nightmares.
Only Dan’s Uncle Frank seems to care about him. But when Frank suddenly dies, Dan finds himself being manipulated from beyond the grave. Exhausted by the demands on him, Dan wrestles with mounting debt, the scorn of his relatives, a mystery basement filled by sound equipment with peculiar instructions, and the curious case of Bugsy, the droopy-eyed cat, who simply vanishes.
If only Dan could vanish too - to a whole new life: new house, new friends, new job, new love affair. Have you not toyed with such a dream?
This science-fiction tale warps within inner space, the infinite space of Self. As you barrel through it, you will not only learn Dan's chosen path but also be whisked across useful tips on how to create your own band, how to make Balkan moussaka, and how to totally destroy a front lawn. There is also a heartfelt homage to the music of The Hunters and Collectors.
March 20, 2018
I absolutely loved this book. I normally don't read male authors but I was lent this book to read and it was so good, I was awake the second night till 3am finishing it. Set in Perth and some of in Melbourne, I knew both the areas written about and the more I read, the more plausible I found the plot, even though I KNEW it wasn't rational, I so wanted it to be true, I really got into believing the characters also ( I couldn't stand the wife, Kylie) and liked meeting the people Dan liked. I didn't want the book to end and now I have another of his to read. Thank you so much, Dan, for writing this wonderful novel.
April 11, 2016
Dan--the character, not the author--is stuck in a caricature of his own life. He is unappreciated at work, his wife uses him, and he doesn't care for his "best friend" from law school and work who can do no wrong. Then Dan's Uncle Frank dies, and as executor of the will, Dan makes a fascinating discovery which may turn everything he knows on its nose.
I enjoyed this book a great deal. I was annoyed with how predictably pitiful Dan is in the beginning of the book because this is supposed to be our hero, but...there is a reason for it all. You just have to keep reading and you won't be disappointed.
I enjoyed this book a great deal. I was annoyed with how predictably pitiful Dan is in the beginning of the book because this is supposed to be our hero, but...there is a reason for it all. You just have to keep reading and you won't be disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews