Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsStay Alert!
Reviewed in Australia on 13 January 2018
There are mixed reviews about this book, people seem to love it or hate it. People seem to be upset about the "supernatural" aspects or the language and some of the sexual content. However Sarah Pinborough's ‘Behind Her Eyes’ was exactly what I wanted: a twisty, thrilling read that kept me guessing but didn’t make me work too hard.
Louise, a single mother finally lets go & one evening goes out and enjoys a kiss with a stranger. However, come Monday she discovers that the stranger at the bar is actually her new boss - the new psychiatrist at the clinic where she works -David. ‘Thirty-four-year-old woman walks into a bar and is sweet-talked by the man of her dreams who turns out to be her new boss. Oh God, I want to die from the awfulness of it all. What a mess.’
David and Louise decide that while awkward they can overlook the kiss and continue on with work.
Louise accidentally and literally runs into David's wife, Adele. She starts a friendship with Adele and quickly becomes enamored with her however it is clear that Louise is also infatuated with David. In fact, she’s so enticed by the two of them she ignores signs of strangeness between the couple. ‘This beautiful, elegant young woman, rushing home in a panic to take a call from her husband? ‘You have to be at home when he calls you? How often is that?’ ‘It’s not how it sounds,’ she says, her eyes pleading with me. ‘Just a couple of times a day. And I have the mobile, so now I don’t have to be at home.’ Is it panic she’s feeling or fear? It’s like a slap in the face. What do I really know about David anyway? One drunken evening, and from that I built a whole character for him. A fantasy.’
Slowly, Louise picks up some signs that David and Adele's marriage isn't typical... ‘After a moment of staring at the space where he no longer is, listening to my patchwork heart breaking, I go back to the kitchen and turn the oven off. I won’t keep it for tomorrow. It would taste sour on the memory of today. Dinner’s ruined. We’re ruined. I sometimes wonder if he wants to kill me and be done with it all. Get rid of the albatross around his neck. Perhaps some part of me wants to kill him too.’
This prompts Louise to dig into their past even after David threatens her to leave them alone and to stay away. Louise has no idea what or who she is up against...
This book is a roller coaster and has all the twists and turns you hope you get from books in this genre. It kept me turning pages late into the night. This story wasn't just a single love triangle because there were some fascinating layers. The end surprised me which I liked... Looking back I realise that the author didn’t hide the clues through-out - it’s totally out there - so stay alert!
