Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

Clever that. To make the potential downfall of the book a spoiler of such epic proportions, that if you’re a reviewer with a conscience, you can’t hold forth about what part of the book didn't work for you.

But I’m going to try to be cleverer. You see, it didn't work for me. And I am going to do this without spoiling the book. I promise you.

Behind her eyes is about relationships. It’s a thriller, psychological and gripping. Meet Louise, a single mom to Adam. She has a fun night out, lets her hair down, hooks up with David. David turns out to be her new boss. And married. To Adele. Louise meets Adele, and unexpectedly, becomes her friend. We see from Adele and Louise’s points of view, in the first person, with some flipping back - to “THEN” from “NOW”, which I liked the simplicity of. I enjoyed the writing. It wasn't too much, and it didn't tell all. Lots of dialogue with Sophie, Louise’s friend, and a lovely unsettling feeling, as you realise how strange David and Adele’s relationship is.

Yet, the plot reveal, the twist that no one saw coming, the denouement, the final whistle, was something so…out of character, out of the ordinary, that it made the whole book lose a little shine for me. Maybe it’s because we’ve seen it all before, and Sarah Pinborough had to really push the boundaries, the result of which I don't think will be to every reader’s taste.

So if, like me, you manage to get to read this without someone spoiling it for you (and people will do it inadvertently, so stop them talking about it) then you should hold the ending very lightly. Appreciate the book for what it delivers and try to forget about the “OMG” ending. Then, when it comes, you can go and find everyone who tried to spoil it for you, and tell them what you really think.

4 stars

ISBN: 9781250111173

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