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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…
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Review
When I read the blurb, I was very intrigued. I had the impression that I would be in for a great read and was I?
At the beginning I have to say that I was not really in to the story. I found it a bit strange and I was not convinced it would be my cup of tea. But how can I give my honest opinion if I don’t push through?
What was my problem? I don’t like fantasy and this book was a mixture of the real world and an imaginary one. But boy oh boy, I am happy that I did not give up. Little by little the author reveals everything and I started to see how brilliant it all was. It shows that giving up is often missing some great things. 🙂
This story is a wonderful way of proving how deep sisterly love can run. No wonder people flee toward a world of make believe and pretending that if something did not happen it actually did not happen. Unfortunately it does not work that way. It’s sometimes hard to imagine in what kind of cruel world some live and what they have to endure…
It’s a dark story that had me gasping from time to time. 4 stars
Thank you, Carole Johnstone and Write Reads Tours
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About the author
Carole Johnstone is an award-winning writer from Scotland, whose short stories have been published all over the world. Mirrorland, a psychological suspense with a gothic twist, is her debut novel.
Having grown up in Lanarkshire, she now lives in the beautiful Argyll & Bute, and is currently working on her second novel: a very unusual murder-mystery, set in the equally beautiful Outer Hebrides.
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Author Link
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Book Links
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