Rx: “Mirrorland”
Prescribed by: Carole Johnstone
Prescribed for: Fans of Stephen King, Sarah Pinborough, and Kate Atkinson.
Side Effects: A compulsion to re-read other twin-based suspense novels, such as Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale” and “Her Fearful Symmetry,” by Audrey Niffenegger.
Directions: When Cat’s twin sister goes missing at sea, she must return to their family home in Scotland to sort out what’s happened. In doing so, she will open Pandora’s box and all of her carefully compartmentalized memories of their childhood together will come rushing back as she struggles to unravel her family’s secrets, many of which someone desperately wants her to keep buried.
Mirrorland: the gloomy place below the pantry stairs where Cat and her sister would go to escape. It was a land of their imagination, filled with the pirates, princesses, cowboys, clowns, and witches from the stories their mother would read to them during home-schooling. The girls relied on the magic of Mirrorland to survive until that fateful night their mother and grandfather died. Once they are on their own, they find that their carefully constructed lies are unraveling and the girls distrust for one another leads them to go their separate ways. Cat reluctantly returns to Scotland to find out what has happened to her mirror twin sister, El. She knows deep in her heart that while El may be missing, she’s still alive, as their twin connection feels unbreakable, despite their years apart. And El has left her clues, a treasure map of sorts, that will lead Cat down the rabbit hole of their childhood, back to Mirrorland where it all began and where their salvation lies.
“In Mirrorland, anything—everything– is possible. In Mirrorland, you are safe. Fear is never to be feared, horror is only make-believe, and escape is inside every bone and vein and breath and brick. And all it asks for in return is one thing. Only ever one thing. That you have to be brave.” Catriona (Cat) Morgan
Special Instructions:
One of the many stories told to Cat and El by their mother is the one about their absent father, Captain Henry Morgan. The girls fantasize about him returning one day, only to discover the ugly truth of their parentage has nothing to do with pirates and the high seas. Nonetheless, we can give old Captain Morgan a nod with these recipes featuring his namesake spiced rum.
Captain and Ginger by Captain Morgan
From the website: “Try the Captain’s twist on a Moscow Mule with the Morgan Mule.”
Spiced Rum Cupcakes from Malmy Madness
From the website: “The cake is spicy and moist while the frosting is sweet and boozy.”
Refill: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781982136352
Julie Bond is a voracious reader with eclectic tastes running the gamut from YA lit, to psychological suspense, and anything dog-related, of course. You can find her haunting her favorite San Francisco Bay Area indie bookstores. Email her at ObsessiveBookFanatic@gmail.com
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