Mirrorland
Apr 2021 · Sold by Simon and Schuster
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10 reviews
Ebook
320
Pages
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About this ebook
“Unnerving.” —People * “Unsettling.” —The New York Times Book Review * “A dark, twisty, and richly atmospheric exploration of the power of imagination” —Ruth Ware, author of The Woman in Cabin 10
“Beautifully written and told with a watchmaker’s precision” (Stephen King), Mirrorland is a thrilling psychological suspense novel about twin sisters, the man they both love, the house that has always haunted them, and the childhood stories they can’t leave behind.
Cat lives in Los Angeles, far from 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where she and her estranged twin sister, El, grew up. As kids, 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 36 Westeryk Road, which hasn’t changed in twenty years. The grand old house is still full of shadowy 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: a treasure hunt that leads them back to Mirrorland, where the truth lies waiting...
A brilliantly crafted story that “feels like the love child of Gillian Flynn and Stephen King” (Greer Hendricks, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about love, betrayal, revenge—and the price of freedom.
“Beautifully written and told with a watchmaker’s precision” (Stephen King), Mirrorland is a thrilling psychological suspense novel about twin sisters, the man they both love, the house that has always haunted them, and the childhood stories they can’t leave behind.
Cat lives in Los Angeles, far from 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where she and her estranged twin sister, El, grew up. As kids, 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 36 Westeryk Road, which hasn’t changed in twenty years. The grand old house is still full of shadowy 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: a treasure hunt that leads them back to Mirrorland, where the truth lies waiting...
A brilliantly crafted story that “feels like the love child of Gillian Flynn and Stephen King” (Greer Hendricks, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about love, betrayal, revenge—and the price of freedom.
“Unnerving.” —People * “Unsettling.” —The New York Times Book Review * “A dark, twisty, and richly atmospheric exploration of the power of imagination” —Ruth Ware, author of The Woman in Cabin 10
“Beautifully written and told with a watchmaker’s precision” (Stephen King), Mirrorland is a thrilli...
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Ratings and reviews
10 reviews
Joelle Egan
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April 4, 2021
Cat has not spoken to her identical twin in over a decade, but she feels certain that she would sense it if she were dead. She travels back to Edinburgh where she and El grew up to aid the authorities in the search for her missing sister. Her presence complicates matters since she is El’s “mirror” and a constant reminder to those who mourn her absence. Enmeshment, boundaries and shared trauma within family is a recurring theme in Mirrorland, by Carole Johnstone. Cat tries to convince her brother-in-law (and former lover) that she believes El is still alive. El and Ross have purchased the girls’ childhood home and painstakingly created an exact replica of the contents from their youth. The environment triggers Cat’s jumbled flashbacks of repressed memories about their experiences and the circumstances that led them to run away. Unfortunately, Cat is an extremely unreliable source of information for the reader. Her rich fantasies from childhood have blurred with the truth to such an extent that is difficult to know where her imagination ends and the truth begins. The house is a character of its own, with secret passageways and features that enhance the novel’s gothic and surreal atmosphere. Disorientating and a bit muddled, the story jumps back and forth in time, slowly morphing as new information is discovered during the missing person investigation. Johnstone seems to have gone a bit overboard in terms of misdirection, and the book’s conclusion seems drawn out by a sequence of revelations piled on top of one another. Still, Mirrorland is an absorbing psychological thriller that might appeal to those who prefer their mysteries on the darker side, like fans of Gillian Flynn or Alice Sebold. Thanks to the author and Scribner for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
3 people found this review helpful
linda lacey
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March 14, 2025
not fond of woe is me stories. Could not get past Chapter 8. Jumped from one lead in to another with no contentuity. Surprised at S. King's review. I have his complete library.
Toni Goldsboro
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December 8, 2022
It was a good story and kept my attention till the end. Lagging on in brief spots.
About the author
Carole Johnstone is the award-winning author of the novels Mirrorland and The Blackhouse. She lives in the Highlands of Scotland, although her heart belongs to the wild islands of the Outer Hebrides.
Carole Johnstone is the award-winning author of the novels Mirrorland and The Blackhouse. She lives in the Highlands of Scotland, although her heart belongs to the wild islands of the Outer Hebrides.
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