Book Review | Behind her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

The story revolves around three main characters – Louise, David and Adele. David and Adele are a beautiful, upper-middle-class couple who have recently shifted towns. David is a psychiatrist and Adele is a homemaker. Louise is a single mom who works part-time as a secretary at the clinic that David has newly joined.

By a twisted game of fate, David turns out to be Louise’s new boss and they are instantly attracted to each other (having already met a night before at a bar and shared a kiss, not knowing the professional relationship they are yet to get into). And Adele too strikes up a friendship with Louise, after having coincidentally bumped into her.

As Louise gets closer and closer to both David and Adele, she is torn between what’s right and what’s wrong and the plot thickens.

Rating: 2.5 Stars

What I liked

• Writing: The writing is very simple, and you ease yourself into the story very quickly and the pages simply flow
• Mystery: It is established, at the very onset, that David and Adele’s marriage is not what it seems like and there are quite a few skeletons in the closet. So this is not going to be one of those perfect marriage stories where, in the end, it turns out that the husband/wife is the antagonist who is putting up a façade. But in ‘Behind Her Eyes’ the marriage is not touted as perfect at the beginning itself, hence we know that there is something more to the story and you kind of look forward to moving ahead
• The Ending: That was one mind-numbing end. Something that your mind could never conjure up. Isn’t this what we all expect in a good psychological thriller?

What I did not like

• Plot: The entire plot is based on Louise’s actions, as anticipated by Adele. Had Louise not acted as per Adele’s fantasies, then the entire story can come tumbling down. So, I found that the plot was a weak one
• Characterization: Louise is one of my least favorite fictional characters and she is also one of the most idiotic characters to have ever written. Her irrational behavior and erratic actions seem very immature and quite risky considering she is a single mom to a 6-year-old.
• Drag: The story was a little bit of a drag in the middle and many paragraphs could have been omitted
• The Ending: Okay. I know I have repeated the same point under what I liked and what I did not like. This is not an error. I truly loved and hated that ending. Why did I hate it? If you are okay reading a spoiler, then please read further

****Spoilers Ahead***

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The ending swayed away from its original plot of a psychological thriller and delves into paranormal activities. This is not acceptable. You cannot begin a thriller, where the reader is busy solving the mystery with a psychological angle and then you end that story with a paranormal climax! Not acceptable!!