This week we are discussing Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone, Ch. 1-10.
Content Warning!!! This book contains situations and subjects related to: alcoholism, child abuse, domestic abuse, drug use, sexual assault, trauma, violence and suicide.
Spoiler Warning!!! This post is full of spoilers for Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone.
*Please note this book is considered a psychological thriller that contains heavy themes that may be upsetting or disturbing to some readers*
Discussion:
Michaela: Welcome friends to our first discussion of Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone. I am not one who really enjoys reading horror or thrillers so this one has been interesting for sure. Right off the bat I’m getting some Stephen King’s It vibes for sure plus a little bit of Ted Dekker’s Thr3e thrown in there. And if you’re familiar with those books and or movies then you kinda know where I think this story could possibly go. So far this book is really unsettling, not even because of any imagery or anything yet, just the whole feeling of the book is a constant feeling of being watched. Definitely do not recommend reading this at night time!
Jacilyn: I, on the other hand, love books that give those Gone Girl type vibes - the unreliable narrator, uncertainty about what is real and what isn’t. So far, I’m not really sure where I think the story will take us at the end. But, I have no doubt that I’ll be kept feeling unsettled throughout the entirety. There’s already so much mystery - did El and Cat kill their mom and grandpa? How did they manage to get away with being so vague about themselves at the foster home, especially since they were covered in blood when they were found!? I’m also super curious about the connection that El and Cat have as mirror twins, and how that impacted their relationship. And, what’s top of mind right now, is why El said she won after ending up in the hospital, presumably from an attempt at self harm?
Michaela: I do like the uncertainty of reality in these books but creepy elements do tend to give me nightmares and sometimes night terrors, so I tend to not read these kinds of books even though the story may be interesting to me. But I think that shows how good some of the authors in the genre are if it continues to stick with you even when you’re not actively reading them. There is so so many half flashbacks and clearly unreliable biased narration. Here is my working theories: Theory #1) Mirrorland is real and El is hiding in there or has been captured by something in there. Maybe El went there on purpose, maybe not. Then with this theory, something in Mirrorland killed their mother in the past and since they created Mirrorland they feel responsible. I think in this case the ‘he’ in “he’ll hurt you too” is either Blackbeard, Bluebeard, or their father ‘Captain Henry’.
But I think that is a little too fantasy, a little too Stephen King for this book therefore here is my Theory #2) El feels an incredible responsibility to protect Cat because of their mother always saying things like the eldest is the responsible one. Which sidenote, so much glossed over childhood trauma/abuse! I think Cat has blocked out a lot of her childhood memories, so I think there’s a lot more abuse that went on then she remembers. I think El protected Cat from their mother in a permanent way.
But this brings me to Theory #3) Ross. Is. Dangerous. We’ll combine theories 1 and 2 a little and view Mirrorland as like multi-personalities of the twins but still with El’s protective nature. El meets Ross and immediately views him as an unstable threat to Mirrorland and especially Cat. Therefore tries to get Ross to like her instead of Cat which is where we get to the present day where Cat is getting messages saying “he’ll hurt you too” and why the windows are nailed shut. I also think that could be part of El’s potential suicide attempt, meaning that when she said “she won” I don’t think she was saying it about Cat but about Ross. She showed Ross that she does have control over herself and that he doesn’t have it all. Or all of my theories are wrong and this book will go in another wild direction that I cannot even fathom at this point. There’s really so many elements being thrown at us right now that I don’t know what is real and what is a red herring.
Jacilyn: Those are all really interesting theories! So far, my gut is telling me that Ross is more involved than Cat wants to believe. I can’t decide whether or not I believe that El is alive or not… But, if she is dead, is it because she killed herself, because there was foul play, or because of an accident? I truly just have no idea. I’m almost wondering if El’s “friends” that Cat is running across might be figments of her imagination, much like Blackbeard, Bluebeard, the Witch, and the shipmates in Mirrorland are?
There was definitely a lot of abuse in their childhood…. The fact that their mother was always trying to get them to “test” their special abilities as mirror twins had to have messed up their psyche. Especially El’s. I could see her self-harm as being one of the ways she was trying to test their boundaries. There has never been any mention of school, either, which leads to me to assume that they never went. They could have been homeschooled, I suppose, considering that their mother seemed to be trying to teach them other things as well with her stories.
I wonder if their mother believed in some of these evil entities in their home, and passed that along to the girls. I’m wondering what really happened to their father, and who he might actually be. I’m wondering how Cat’s interest in Ross will impact the story as a whole. Just so many questions!
Michaela: Right now I think El is alive though I don’t know that she is the one “helping” Cat but if not her then I’m not sure who is. The only one of El’s friends I think I could trust is the most random encounter of them all which is Vik. He is so far removed from the house that I can see El actually sharing the truth with him, if Ross is indeed the problem that is. Cat’s memory is totally porked at this point, she only half remembers almost everything, it’s like it’s all slowly coming back to her.
I don’t think they went to school either. Cat never mentions it that I’ve noticed. Their mom doesn't seem to have been this huge abuse mastermind, maybe more like someone who wasn’t comfortable being a parent or ill-equipped to be one but it also feels like Cat is suppressing a lot, like when she remembered her mom touching her hair but then also remembered sharp nails against her head. Seeing how their grandpa was it wouldn’t surprise me that it’s just the cycle of childhood trauma continuing but with a little extra spice added in. I don’t know, it’s all very creepy and unclear. Also this Bluebeard’s room…what’s in there that they weren’t allowed to see so much that their mom invented a whole ass horror story of women being hung from the walls? Cat is still clearly affected by all this childhood imaginary stuff when she’s hearing witches and screaming voices! I didn’t realize I could be jump scared by a book but it’s happened at least 3 times already with this one. El’s painting hiding in the closet literally made me jump, like damn woman give a bitch a warning.
Jacilyn: Part of me wouldn’t be surprised if El is in Bluebeard’s room, honestly. It seems like it’s some sort of hell hole in there for some reason… but again, no idea why! There’s still so much mystery to be unraveled.
Well, friends, that’s it for our first discussion of Mirrorland. What are your theories? We’d love to hear them! Until next time…. bye!
Comentários