Mirrorland
Written by Carole Johnstone
Mirrorland
boasts an incredible premise, taking the tale of two sisters and a suspicious
husband and turning it through a fantastic nuanced lens. Carole Johnstone’s
newest psychological thriller tells the story of Catriona (Cat) and Ellice (El),
two sisters who grew up under surreal and strange conditions, the girls never
understanding if their life was real or if they were part of their imagined play
world, Mirrorland. They fought pirates, caught monsters, and hid from evil creatures,
but as Cat processes her adulthood, she soon recognizes that those monsters
were closer to reality than she had remembered. Cat is called back to her hometown
and the house they two grew up in, when El disappears. The lead suspect is,
naturally, El’s husband, Ross, who the girls both pined and fought for as
teens.
The
story weaves in and out of the muddled past and back to the jaded present. Unfortunately,
I do believe that as great as Johnstone storytelling is, that the past was
jarring and uncomfortable to read, leaving for a less than perfect reading
experience. As the secrets and truths are revealed, the Mirrorland storyline
becomes more clear and even more horrifying. I find that readers who can be
sensitive to dark material could become very triggered by this story, as it goes
down many frightening paths that I wasn’t expecting. I did enjoy the twisting
and ominous tales woven together, but I think it may be one of those books that
once you read it, you might feel complacent to not read once more.
Additionally, the Ross investigation was interesting, and I felt that it was
told in a pleasant and suspenseful way. I do not think the way she unveiled his
villainy was incredibly interesting, but I enjoyed how the girls’ love for Rita
Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption influenced the full plot.
Finally,
I do believe this is a great book. I am glad to have read from this author, and
I will continue to follow her new releases. I think that the volume of disturbing
and exploitative plot points can detract from the novel, but I do feel that the
complete novel was enjoyable. Additionally, the lack of proper mental health
help representation was disappointing. However, I urge readers to give this a
try.
I
rate this novel at four out of five stars.
Thank
you to Scribner Publishing for sending a finished copy for reviewing purposes.
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