The Girl in the Mirror
The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle
Published: October 20, 2020
In many great thrillers and mysteries, a reader’s trust in the narrator’s version of events can come into question as soon as one feels that critical separation, the minute distance between the truth and a memory, between a fact and a white lie. In The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle, the reader experiences this on an order of magnitude, because this is a novel of reflection, refraction, of the utter incomprehensibility of the Other, both without and within.
Ms. Carlyle’s debut novel is a story of twins set against the backdrop of Australia, the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles, and the machinations of a family torn apart by a dead father’s impossible will. While we recognize the many pieces being played in themselves, the heart of the story inches in chapter by chapter, until we fear for our lives – or, at least that of our captain.
The two main characters are the twins, of course, Iris and Summer. Summer has everything: a handsome husband, the life of her dreams, and so much more. Iris, on the other hand, has recently lost her boyfriend and can’t seem to piece together a life worth living – or, at least in comparison to her unbelievably lucky sister.
The plot itself unfolds, as so many good thrillers do, as a series of nesting dolls, one mystery appearing after another, until we feel safe in knowing what the ending entails. Except for this: in good thrillers, we don’t know the ending at all, and that is very much the case with this story.
In this reader’s opinion, The Girl in the Mirror is unputdownable. I found myself deep in a tête-à-tête of just-one-more-chapter with myself over and over again, until it was well past midnight and the book was done.
While the writing doesn’t stand up on its own as a literary masterpiece, the story cannot help but be encountered and experienced firsthand all the way through, wondering what will appear around the next turn and how our narrator will make it through alive – or, at least with her dignity.
Personally, I think that The Girl in the Mirror is a promising start to Ms. Carlyle’s writing career. I also believe this book would transition incredibly well to the screen, whether big or small (movie studios, are you listening?). And, lastly, I simply cannot wait to see what thrilling mystery she comes up with next.
Disclosure: This book was provided by HarperCollins Publishers in exchange for an honest review.