Recently, I shared my “Lazarus Rating System” for reviewing books. Here’s my latest book review. Let me know what you think of the rating system. Did you find the review useful? Does this type of review help you to determine your next read?
Title – Behind Her Eyes
Author – Sarah Pinborough
Overall Score – 4
The best part of Sarah Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes was that it was addictive and so cleverly told from 3 points of view – Louise, Adele and a narrator. I couldn’t figure it out and now understand why – the #wtfthatending is not something most readers would guess. While I would have preferred something more conventional, the superb storytelling, human insights and character development were very well done.
Book Cover – 4
I don’t like covers with “people” on them, but this one only shows just an eye so it doesn’t spoil the mental picture in my mind of the characters. The title will make sense at the end.
Plot – 4
Is Adele psychotic like Amy of “Gone Girl” or a trapped woman like Grace of “Behind Closed Doors” or something else? Is Louise a jilted, alcoholic single mother like Rachel of “Girl on the Train”?
Lots of comparisons, but the ending has no comparison … well, except for a few I’ve seen from Hollywood that I won’t share in order to avoid spoilers.
The plot had me guessing the whole time, especially as I tried to figure out Adele’s motive and to tie the backstory explained by the narrator to the current events. I finally decided to just enjoy the ride, and though I wasn’t a fan of the ending, I did come to understand why I couldn’t figure it out.
Character Development – 5
Louise – 5; The protagonist, so relatable that anyone would forgive her flaws and root for her
Adele – 5; A beautiful mystery of a woman
David – 5; A monster or misunderstood, not revealed until the end
Pace – 5
When I was 2/3 done, the storyline was spinning up so fast that I truly wondered how there could only be 1/3 to go, but it kept me entertained! Diving into this book made time disappear – I was hooked!
Basics (Grammar, Punctuation, Format) – 5
All good.
PS – if you listen to the audio book it is narrated by Anna Bentinck, Josie Dunn, Bea Holland, Huw Parmenter — you won’t be disappointed, especially the Scottish accent given to David.
Price – 4
Hard Cover – 16.94; which is fair compared to other novels of this type.
Kindle – 12.99; which seems a bit high compared to the hard cover price.
Any other criteria that you think I should add to my “Lazarus Rating System”?
About the image: recently the New York Public Library opened their digital collection. It’s like a candy store of art, graphics, history and style. As a writer I am fascinated by desks, working spaces and styles. Wouldn’t you love this desk in your office?
Image Credit: CABINET MAKER AND ARTIST’S ENCYCLOPEDIA, The New York Public Library. artist: Thomas Sheraton, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Liz Lazarus 