Review: "Behind Her Eyes," by Sarah Pinborough
DID. NOT. SEE. THAT. COMING. The ending everyone is talking about is, indeed, the definition of a mind-fuck. I've never felt so unsure about how to review a novel. This is a tricky one to review without including spoilers, but I'll do my best. First thing I need to say: it was very slow in the initial buildup. I really didn't become interested in the story until about page 150, which is pretty much exactly half way into the novel. That's a looong time to wait to become invested in a story. And the only real reason I kept reading was because I was so damn curious about the ending everyone is talking about. And yes, the ending was unexpected. BUT, the ending is only unexpected because there is this major dissonance in the plotting elements employed in the story. The first half of the plot is strictly a psychological thriller, with good character development (with Adele and Louise, mostly). It has your typical mysteries and back stories that make you wonder just what the hellhappened in David and Adele's marriage. Then, in the second half, Pinborough seems to have waved a magic wand and created this whole other element to the story (I can't even really hint at what it is without giving too much away). There will be debates over whether this element belonged here in this novel. That said, this latter element is the only reason the ending has so much punch! If Pinborough would've introduced this mysterious element too early on in the novel, it would have been easy to guess the inevitable outcome. Confused about what I'm talking about? I'd be surprised if you weren't. My suggestion, read the book. It's not a disappointment, it was still hella entertaining! (or, the last half was anyway) While I'm on the topic of being confused, I will warn you ahead of time that there will be points throughout the first 2/3's of this book where you start to question whether you've been paying close enough attention; Louise and Adele seem to know things they shouldn't - just know that this resolves itself in the end. As for the writing, it was good. Sarah Pinborough is a good writer. I enjoyed the constant back and forth between first person Louise and first person Adele, and then the occasional glimpses into the past. I think the novel could have been tightened up a bit, shortened. There were a few passages where I found myself skimming over what I knew was just filler exposition. Final rating, it's worthy of a full 4 Stars. My advice, if you're going to read this, push through the first half of the novel. I read the last half in one sitting. It's worth the WTF ending.
