"Broken Light" by Joanne Harris

An audio book

At school, Bernie (Bernadette) was a little strange. At 7 she mucked up Adam Price's mind. He went on to set light to his foster home. At her 11th birthday party (21 invited, 3 came - one of them Kate) she performed a magic act. The themes of her friendlessness and the power of magic (deception, mirrors, etc) continue through the book. She could thought-transfer (make people think her thoughts, or exchange the thoughts/emotions of 2 people). The power disappeared when her periods began, returning stronger than before at menopause. She can flip people, turning their inwardness outwards. Other themes are -

• The Self as a house - When Bernie "looks in someone's house" she means "looks into their minds". She and Kate used to play "house".
• Sexism - "The male gaze is all entitlement" she thinks.

She reads online sites about menopause. She's about 47, married to Martin and has a 30 year-old son Dante, who was a male-stereotype child. She thinks Martin might be having an affair. She works in a bookshop. Her boss is Selina. She listens to "inner critic" and "inner demon" voices. There's a murder of a female jogger. She thinks the murderer might be Woody, someone Martin knows. She sees him ask Iris, a waitress, for a drink. He date-drugs her. Bernie switches the mind-states of Iris and Woody so that Woody falls asleep at the pub. She and Iris make friends. Iris realises the power Bernie has.

Kate was Martin's girlfriend. He runs a vanity press specialising in autobiographies. Kate got published that way.

Bernie likes social media and still doesn't have many friends. She starts jotting, shouting at rude men. She finds friends among the joggers, including a trans who makes Bernie realise you can be what you want to be. She manages to make more people buy books at her bookshop. Woody keeps fainting so we stays with them. Trigger words like "trans" make him faint, so he uses code words instead. He uses YouTube to broadcast videos about conspiracies, including the idea that a drug, MK2, is being used by feminists on males. Martin begins to side with him. Bernie begins to believe that his love for him was a trick - just hormones

Dante visits. He's a fan of Woody. Bernie "visits his house" and discovers he's gay. She gets Woody to leave without using her super-power. Later he dies at an all-female yoga session having brandished a knife.

A school reunion is planned. The band that had Martin and Kate in it are doing a repeat gig. But Bernie interrupts to do the vocals. We learn that Adam was blamed by Kate at the original party for making her pregant, but it was Martin. At the reunion Adam might try to take revenge. Bernie dies (self-sacrifices), breaking into mirror fragments that let people gain greater self awareness.

Other reviews

• goodreads
• Roelia Reads (a gripping and provocative story that challenges the stereotypes and expectations of middle-aged women. She combines elements of magical realism, mystery, and feminism to create a compelling portrait of a woman who undergoes a radical transformation. Harris also tackles timely issues such as the #MeToo movement, the murder of Sarah Everard, the rise of online influencers, and the dangers of psychological manipulation.)
• runalongtheshelves
• Lisa Allardice (Joanne Harris was rereading Carrie by Stephen King during lockdown when she got the inspiration for her new novel, Broken Light.)