THE MIRROR MAN will hold a special place in my heart going forward. It reminded me, thematically if not stylistically, of a number of the science fiction novels published in the early to mid-1960s. At one point, I made a note to myself that it puts one in the mind of a collaboration between Philip K. Dick and Michael Crichton, who wrote pseudonymous titles prior to his breakout hit, THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, in 1969. Is THE MIRROR MAN that good? You bet! It is inventive, poignant and occasionally terrifying.

Jane Gilmartin’s surefooted debut novel is narrated by Jeremiah Adams, who is employed by ViMed Pharmaceutical as a publicist. He is very good at his job, particularly with respect to issuing press releases defending Meld, the company’s pride and joy. Meld is a pharmaceutical that permits memory access and transferal. ViMed has touted it as a breakthrough in the treatment of comatose and brain-damaged patients, but its journey to the marketplace has not been without problems. Jeremiah is nonetheless surprised when he is quietly approached by Dr. Charles Scott, ViMed’s chief of engineering.

"...inventive, poignant and occasionally terrifying.... Gilmartin tosses occasional twists into the mix throughout, saving a big one that is revealed just when you think the all-clear siren has sounded."

Dr. Scott has an offer for Jeremiah. He will pay him 10 million dollars for the privilege of cloning him (which is illegal) and transferring his memories, right down to his essence, into the clone. The clone would essentially replace and become Jeremiah, while Jeremiah himself would be housed for one year in an onsite apartment, the existence of which is known to only a few people at ViMed. No one else, including his wife and 15-year-old son, would know. If all goes well, they will never be able to tell the difference.

Jeremiah agrees to participate. His marriage has grown cold, and his son seems to resent him. He figures that the money more than makes up for what basically is a one-year imprisonment in very comfortable surroundings, where he has to let himself be subjected to regular injections of Meld and watch his clone, via surveillance cameras, step into his life.

The chapters tick off the days of Jeremiah’s enforced withdrawal from his life. He goes from enjoying the free time to boredom to resentment, observing his clone interact with his family. What is interesting is that the clone reacts exactly as Jeremiah might if he was in the same position, but he doesn’t always like what he sees, even though what he sees is himself. He also begins to wonder what the purpose and endgame are behind this experiment.

Things soon begin to go off track, and the results are disastrous. Jeremiah wants out, but he is essentially in lockdown…and, of course, there is that ironclad agreement into which he has entered. He goes looking for a way out, but even if he is successful, he may be too late.

THE MIRROR MAN is a cautionary tale and an oddly redemptive one as well. Gilmartin tosses occasional twists into the mix throughout, saving a big one that is revealed just when you think the all-clear siren has sounded. There is also a surprise hero who manifests himself throughout the book and ultimately turns out to be the smartest person in the room. The result is an impressive work by any standard.