Las Vegas, Nevada, 2003

The Mirror Thief is structured in three distinct narratives occurring in three different cities at three different times in history. Although the story’s action takes place in dramatically different settings, the locations share a common fascination with the Venetian mirror. The three central settings of the story are the Venetian casino in Las Vegas in 2003; Venice Beach, California in 1958; and Venice, Italy in 1592.

While the cities are important to note, they primarily serve to represent a shift in time and perspective. Their significance lies in the ideas and motivations of their central characters. The narrator highlights this distinction several times throughout the novel, most notably by stating, “Cities are ideas. Independent of geography. They can vanish, suddenly or gradually, and reappear thousands of miles away. Changed, perhaps. Reduced. Always imperfectly realized. But still somehow the same. Retaining the essence of the idea” (Seay 159). With each...