Book Review: Lonely Castle in the Mirror

“Within the castle the Wolf Queen was free, vibrant and full of life”

There aren’t many books that have completely gutted me. But this is certainty one of them; it’s the kind of book that lulls you into a false sense of security before pulling the rug out from under your feet. But who would’ve guessed? It’s a children’s book! The lives of children are full of imagination, magic, and whimsy, with a sprinkle of mischief. It is with a collective shake of the head, maybe a gasp of horror, that anything bad should happen to a child. But bad things do happen to children – bullying, predators, cancer- to name a few- All these things happen to children, through no fault of their own. Children are often described as tough and resilient; it is that fairy-tale belief that all adults have that children won’t understand what’s happening and that they’ll be fine or “get over it”. Sometimes it is the bad things that make children resilient. They weren’t necessarily like that before.

This book, by Mizuki Tsujimura takes its lead from two of the most loved children’s writers of all time: Hans Christian Andersen and The Brothers Grimm. It is through these “un-disneyfied” rose coloured glasses that children suffer an inordinate amount of pain. Snow White is poisoned, Hansel and Gretel are left in the woods to starve and nearly become the victims of cannibalism, Briar Rose is cursed - I mean, I could go on. According to the author Japanese children have some of the worst mental health in the world, sometimes due to family problems, but mostly because of bullying in schools. And it is the lives of seven children who desperately want to live a normal life and go to school without fear who are the focus of this tale.  Seven children who one day wake up to find their bedroom mirrors shining brightly and are transported into a fairy-tale castle where they meet the Wolf Queen. The castle has the power to grant one wish to whoever finds the key to the wishing room. But here's the catch: you have one year to find the key and the castle is only open from 10am – 5pm Japan time, break the rules and you’ll be eaten by a wolf. These seven children all share one thing in common – they don’t go to school. So, they spend their year navigating their own issues, problems, each praying that their wish will come true, but ultimately choose to help each other.

There are some wonderful twists and turn in this book that will take you fully by surprise, but, dear reader: nothing, and I mean nothing will prepare you for the way this books ends. This book holds that fantastical fairy-tale magic that we all know and love, whilst dealing with the real repercussions of misunderstood mental health concerns. Read this book, but be prepared this isn’t your average tumble-down-the-rabbit-hole.