No. 36 Westeryk Road: an imposing flat-stone house on the outskirts of Edinburgh. A place of curving shadows and crumbling grandeur. But it's what lies under the house that is extraordinary - Mirrorland. A vivid make-believe world that twin sisters Cat and El created as children. A place of escape, but from what?
Now in her thirties, Cat has turned her back on her past. But when she receives news that one sunny morning, El left harbour in her sailboat and never came back, she is forced to return to Westeryk Road; to re-enter a forgotten world of lies, betrayal and danger.
Because El had a plan. She's left behind a treasure hunt that will unearth long-buried secrets. And to discover the truth, Cat must first confront the reality of her childhood - a childhood that wasn't nearly as idyllic as she remembers...
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(@BoroughPress, 20 April 2021, 320 pages, ebook, #ARC from the publisher via # NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 12 April via @RandomTTours)
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I've read and loved some of the author's short fiction, but this is her debut novel. Mirrorland is a corker, part thriller, part mystery with some gothic fiction thrown in for good measure. I knew I want to read it when I read the blurb. It sounded like the kind of book I'd love to get lost in. Thankfully, my expectations were spot on. Mirrorland is very rich and detailed and reminds me of some of the works by Joyce Carol Oates. I loved the setting in Edinburgh, Scotland, a town not far from where I live and somewhere I've visited many times. I have a soft spot for book set in my country. I also enjoyed the flashbacks into Carol and her sister's past. This is a great book to get lost in.
