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A review by fleeno
Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As children El and Cat grew up in a rambling, gothic home with their mother and grandfather. The space behind the pantry became mirrorland, a place where they could escape to, a world of pirates, witches, and complex rules about clowns and tooth fairies. As adults El and Cat haven't spoken for 12 years, El has married Cats former boyfriend and occasional visitor to mirrorland Ross and lives in their former home in Edinburgh, and Cat lives in LA. When Cat receives a call to say El has gone missing on a sailboat she rushes back to Edinburgh, certain even despite the estrangement she would have felt it if El was dead. Being back in their childhood home brings back memories for Cat and she begins to realise how much of her childhood she had forgotten and blocked out. Cat's memories of El are unclear, and the line between what is how much of mirrorland was real how much was imaginary becomes blurred. Cat learns that before she went missing El was receiving threatening notes, then Cat begins recieving the same notes and emails from someone leading her to clues from their childhood games.
This book was quite the thriller and had me guessing all the way through. It took me a while to get used to the language used to describe the house - the clown cafe, bluebeards room, boomtown - and it was unclear how much was part of a childhood imagination and how much was real. Cat's poor memory makes her an unreliable narrator, she has blocked out a lot of childhood trauma, has a skewed view of her sister, and idolizes Ross. As some aspects of mirrorland turn out to be real I began to wonder how much of the world was real and what had happened during their childhood.
If you can persevere through the first part and get your head around the house and mirrorland the result is an amazing and imaginative story. It's rare that thrillers actually keep me guessing but this one did. The ending was superb, El and Cat are brilliant characters, the only draw back is the complex nature of the imaginary world which may be too convoluted for some readers.
This book was quite the thriller and had me guessing all the way through. It took me a while to get used to the language used to describe the house - the clown cafe, bluebeards room, boomtown - and it was unclear how much was part of a childhood imagination and how much was real. Cat's poor memory makes her an unreliable narrator, she has blocked out a lot of childhood trauma, has a skewed view of her sister, and idolizes Ross. As some aspects of mirrorland turn out to be real I began to wonder how much of the world was real and what had happened during their childhood.
If you can persevere through the first part and get your head around the house and mirrorland the result is an amazing and imaginative story. It's rare that thrillers actually keep me guessing but this one did. The ending was superb, El and Cat are brilliant characters, the only draw back is the complex nature of the imaginary world which may be too convoluted for some readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts