BOOK DESCRIPTION
Twelve years ago my life began again.
But it was a lie.
With the startling twists of Gone Girl and the haunting emotional power of Room, Mirrorland is the story of twin sisters, the man they both love, and the dark childhood they can’t leave behind.
Cat lives in Los Angeles, about as far away as she can get from her estranged twin sister El and No. 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where they grew up. As girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact that El now lives there with her husband Ross.
But when El mysteriously disappears after going out on her sailboat, Cat is forced to return to the grand old house, which has scarcely changed in twenty years. No. 36 Westeryk Road is still full of shadowy, hidden corners, and at every turn Cat finds herself stumbling on long-held secrets and terrifying ghosts from the past. Because someone—El?—has left Cat clues all over the house: a treasure hunt that leads right back to Mirrorland, where she knows the truth lies crouched and waiting…
A sharply crafted mystery about love and betrayal, redemption and revenge, Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about the power of imagination and the price of freedom. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Ruth Ware, and Daphne du Maurier.
Catriona (Cat) had hoped never to see her childhood home ever again after she fled to America twelve years ago. Most of her memories of her time living behind the red door of number 36 Westeryk Road were of being terrified and living in fear. The only time that Cat and her identical twin sister Ellice (El) felt safe was when they escaped into Mirrorland, their imaginary world under the house where they would sail with pirates, have pow wows in the tee pee.A world of fun and imagination. A Place where they were safe from harm because Bluebeard and The Tooth Fairy didn't know about Mirrorland, it was their secret. But now in her thirties Cat has been forced to return back to the flat stoned house that was situated on the outskirts of Edinburgh after she had received news that her sister had mysteriously disappeared. Everyone including the police and El's husband Ross believed that El were convinced that El was dead but Cat refuses to believe them. She finds herself irresistibly drawn back into Mirrorland where she discovers that El has left behind a treasure hunt. As she uncovers more clues she begins to uncover secrets that cast doubt on events both in the present day and the past. The chapters of this mesmerising story flip back and forth between the present day and the past and are narrated entirely from Cat's perspective. She was a complex character who was also flawed which was understandable when you her early childhood into consideration. Her two go to modes as a adult seemed to be living in denial and running away instead of dealing with the situation. I had mixed feelings about her character but I also couldn't help admiring her determination to uncover the truth behind her sister's disappearance despite the rift that had developed between them in the past. I can't say that I liked the younger version of El very much at times especially after the younger version of Ross came into their lives but we all behave differently when we are younger and whilst reading her treasure hunt clues it did appear that she had matured during the intervening years. I loved the descriptions of the girl's adventures in Mirrorland, how they used their vivid imaginations to escape the atmosphere of terror and fear that they lived with on a daily basis. This is a story about how fallible our memories of people and events can be. How the version that we remember might not be what really happened at the time and how people's actions and behaviour can be misinterpreted and misunderstood. About how people can hide their true natures behind various masks and are not always who they appear to be. This is a cleverly written, atmospheric, intricately plotted, outstanding debut thriller that had me glued to my kindle, totally captivated by this talented author's thrilling story. The characters were realistic and believable, the twists and turns of the plot kept me guessing and I experienced a wide range of emotions as the story unfolded. I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it and read it in two sittings. A absolutely brilliant book,worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended.
AUTHOR BIO
Thank you so much again, Nicki! I love this review, and I'm so grateful to you for posting it! And thank you, too, for being a part of the blog tour of course!
ReplyDeleteAll best wishes,
Carole x