I can’t ever despise the power of good recommendations. I didn’t think I was going to be this entranced by a book. I remember seeing a clip on TikTok once about this book that had been adapted into a movie, and it sounded so intriguing. I remember being super amazed by the twist, but it was so long ago, so I ended up forgetting the plot, which is good because if not, I wouldn’t have been able to finally pick up this book based on a recommendation.
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
Louise is a working class, single Mom, and she feels suffocated because after her separation from her husband, her life seems to be in a rut. Dull, monotonous, and her only source of excitement being her best friend's adulterous escapades, and a glass of wine. But then, she meets David at the bar, they share a passionate kiss, and for the first time in a long time, Louise feels that love may not be over for her just yet.
But then she goes to work, and she finds out that her new boss is David, the man she kissed at the bar, and not just that, but he’s married. She vows to stay away from David, but the sparks between more or less become explosives. Then, she meets Adele, David’s wife, and becomes enchanted by her beauty and seeming fragility.
But there’s something that constantly gnaws at her. The David that Adele describes is very different from the man she’s having an affair with. Why does David seem like a controlling husband, and why is his wife nearly terrified of him. Rather unexpectedly, Louise gets sucked into their world, and like the proverbial moth to a flame, she’s about to get burnt by secrets far darker than she could have ever imagined.
Thoughts and Rating
If you read the first two paragraphs, it points out to something a lot of us have doubtless read in fan fictions, and silly romances of a drunken affair and one night stand turning pit to be your boss or something, and so you may easily dismiss it, but I beg you to know that this is most definitely not your regular story.
I have a lot of things to say, and I don’t know where to start. If the author was gunning for us not sympathizing or rooting for her lead characters, she got it, because I was anything if not repulsed by the decisions they made, and how selfish they were. The grand master of this has to be Louise, and I guess I have to dedicate an entire paragraph to her.
Louise is the character that just has you hissing at each page. She has to be the most selfish, idiotic, detrimentally nosey person I have ever had the misfortune of encountering in a story. She was brazen enough to keep having an affair with a married man, and still wanted to maintain her friendship with his wife, and even when the danger was practically at her doorstep, her nosiness, lack of foresight, and sheer stupidity, caused her to dive into her own, perfectly prepared waterloo.
The book in itself felt kind of slow and repetitive. It was slow burn in its highest form, and you had to wait through each scorching feel of the burn. Tantalizing, but still several degrees frustrating. It felt like Adele kept ending the same way, and Louise kept doing the same things. It was a lot, really. But it didn’t stop me from staying put.
I’ve never felt like stopping a book just to browse the ending, because of my trepidation, but this happened at several points as I read, and I’m happy to tell you that it was a true test of my level of self control, and ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to tell you that I won.
The book ended rather satisfyingly. I felt sad up until the ending, but then the last twist made me feel rather fulfilled. I loved it, rather surprisingly, and even though I’m not one for the paranormal being mixed in a somewhat realistic tale, I just had to make do with this. My favourite character, and I feel the true victim in this story is Adam, Louise’s son, who was rather unfortunate to have a mother as self-centred as her.
All in all, an exceptional novel. I was speechless for minutes after reading, and I may be saying bye to thrillers for now, because what can top this, really? But it may also be my door to the world of many more psychological thrillers. 4.5 stars from me. Sarah Pinborough may just be a twisted author, but my is she a delight!
Jhymi🖤
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