Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone takes readers into the childhood fantasy world of twin sisters Cat and El. After being estranged for twelve years, Cat is suddenly plunged back into her past when her sister goes missing during a solo sailing outing. She returns to their childhood home in Edinburgh and all its suppressed memories.
Mirrorland is the name for a hidden space in the girls’ childhood home where the twins, Ross (El’s husband and Cat’s former boyfriend), and Mouse escaped from evil pirates, among other adventures. The investigation into El’s disappearance reveals that the twin’s childhood was abusive and full of sinister secrets.
Cat does not feel that her sister truly died; rather she believes it’s an elaborate hoax for attention. This is even more true as she starts receiving mysterious emails and notes that lead her on a scavenger hunt through her past. During this time she stays with Ross. Cat is hearing that Ross was a violent husband and that El was scared for her life. When El’s body is eventually recovered, it seems that Ross might be to blame after all.
Each character has plenty of emotional trauma in his/her past and we must forage into their attempts at escape to figure out the truth. This was a gripping read that kept me guessing until the very end.
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