Overview

When Cat returns from Los Angeles to her childhood home in Edinburgh, her twin sister El has vanished, believed drowned at sea. Back at 36 Westeryk Road, Cat is pulled into memories of Mirrorland, the secret fantasy world the twins invented as children. As clues surface through games, notebooks and half-buried memories, Cat is forced to face what really happened, both in the past and in the days leading up to El’s disappearance.

Writing & Voice

We found the writing tense and carefully controlled, with a steady sense of unease running through every chapter. Johnstone blends the familiar with the unsettling, turning an ordinary Edinburgh townhouse into a place loaded with threat and memory. The line between truth and invention is never stable, which keeps us questioning what can be trusted right to the end.

Characters

Cat tells the story with sharp humour and growing uncertainty, and her voice feels both convincing and fragile. El is ever-present despite her absence, reconstructed through childhood stories and the impact she left behind. The surrounding cast, especially El’s husband Ross, adds pressure and doubt, making every relationship feel tense and unresolved.

Themes

Mirrorland explores memory, control and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. It looks closely at sisterhood, at the power of imagination in childhood, and at how those invented worlds can carry into adult life in damaging ways. The novel asks who gets to shape the narrative, and what happens when that story starts to crack.

What Worked

• Strong sense of place: the Edinburgh setting feels dark, enclosed, and watchful.
• Psychological tension: the slow unravelling of Cat’s certainty is handled with care.
• Inventive structure: childhood games and clues are woven neatly into the mystery.

Minor Quibbles

• The final revelations arrive quickly after a long build-up.
• Some readers may find the blurred boundary between reality and imagination disorienting.

Final Thoughts

We found Mirrorland unsettling and absorbing, a psychological suspense novel that shows how childhood stories can leave lasting scars. It is dark, clever, and rooted in place, with a mystery that lingers after the final page.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)