Bestselling author Armando Lucas Correa strikes out in a bold new direction with a psychological thriller about a young woman afflicted with ‘motion blindness’, who becomes convinced that her next-door neighbour is going to be murdered. Perfect for readers of Before I Go to Sleep and The Silent Patient.
For as long as she can remember, twenty-eight-year-old Leah has suffered from akinetopsia – her eyes can’t process movement, only still images. As she walks around her neighbourhood in Upper Manhattan, her white stick tapping the pavement, most people assume she’s blind. But Leah sees a good deal, and she remembers every image her eyes capture.
Accustomed to a solitary life in her rambling apartment complex, Leah’s routine is thrown out of whack when someone new moves in next door. Alice is beautiful and kind, but Leah can smell waves of anxiety coming off her. As they become friends, confiding in each other, Alice opens up about her abusive, alcoholic ex-husband, who refuses to let her go.
Things take a turn for the worse when Leah hears Alice through the wall, begging for someone to help. With no one to call and moments to act, Leah is forced to make a decision that will test her courage, her strength and ultimately her sanity. But Leah is determined to help her new friend, even though the situation is dangerous at best – and deadly at worst.
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Read some great reviews from our Preview readers here:
An interesting book fundamentally about a young woman who, while legally blind, can see life as a series of still images (much like a slide show). She cannot see movement. My understanding of her condition is to look at something, close your eyes without moving for a short time, then open them. What is different and what has transpired between those two images. That is my interpretation and could be totally incorrect. She gives the impression of being a ‘caring’ person for those around her, but as the story evolves, the reader is led to wonder at her interpretation of ‘helping’. And what actually happens in between her ‘still’ images. Still left me wondering at the end of the book. A multiple ‘who done it’, which keeps the reader guessing. Terry, SA, 5 Stars
Twenty-eight-year-old Leah is our protagonist. Following a traumatic head injury as an eight-year-old, Leah lives with Akinetopsia, an extremely rare neuropsychological disorder in which she cannot perceive motion in her visual field, despite being able to see stationary objects without issue. Since her mother died, Leah lives alone in her apartment in upper Manhattan where she is supported by her longtime housekeeper. Leah is quite independent: with the aid of her white stick, she can navigate her neighbourhood and frequently visits Book Culture, a local bookstore. Leah’s physical world may be small, but she sees more than people think and her vision is augmented by her well-developed senses of smell and hearing. Armando Lucas Correa takes the reader on a roller coaster ride. Leah’s past and present intersect in unexpected ways, and it is never entirely clear just how reliable a narrator she is. Leah comes to Alice’s aid but then finds her world has shifted. Again. I kept reading, no longer sure what was real in Leah’s world or how well Leah was interpreting what was happening around her. What was real, what was imagined? This took me to the end with a twist I definitely did not anticipate. Jennifer, ACT, 5 Stars
A brilliant and breathtaking novel about seeing the world through different eyes. The Silence in Her Eyes opens with a most apt quote by Anais Nin – ‘we don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are’. Our narrator, Leah, may not be able to see movement, but the way she ‘sees’ the world is sophisticated and expansive, and her other senses are honed and heightened, especially her sense of smell, which makes me think of Patrick Suskind’s magnificent novel Perfume. The setting of Upper Manhattan is vibrantly described through sound and smell, but the inner setting of Leah’s mind is equally intriguing. Determining what is real and imagined keeps the reader on the edge of their seat in this beautifully crafted page-turner which is thoroughly captivating until the very end. Michelle, VIC, 5 Stars
Intense! Leah suffered from akinetopsia. She can only see still images. She lives alone in the apartment. Her life changed when a new neighbor, Alice, moved next door. They became a friend. When a man with a bergamot smell comes onto their floor frequently, Leah finds the need to protect Alice from her abusive and alcoholic ex-husband. Chasing a man with a bergamot smell is one way to find the missing puzzle in Leah’s life. It’s hard to put down the book once I start reading it. Margaret, NSW, 5 Stars
The Silence In Her Eyes by Armando Lucas Correa was deeply heartfelt. The journey it takes you on is hard on the emotions but just shows that everyone is going through something in their own way. Some hide it better than others! Great read. Highly recommend but be prepared for a lot of emotions to arise. Sheree, NSW, 5 Stars
What an amazing story, I loved it, devoured it, this book left me feeling all the feels. Jessica, NSW, 5 Stars
I found this story very interesting and very well-written. It describes very clearly how Leah sees the world you almost feel like you are there with her. It is a gentle story that carries you along with the people that are devoted to her. At one point I was wondering where it was all leading until near the end where it takes quite a turn as certain events unfold. Overall a very clever and unusual premise which I really enjoyed. Elaine, SA, 4 Stars
Leah has been living with a rare form of blindness where she can’t see movement since the age of eight. Her mother had always protected her from the outside world, but Leah just wants independence and to stop being treated like a blind girl. Leah, now 28, realises she is totally alone after her mother has died of cancer. She surrounds herself with books in her New York apartment. Leah is super observant of her surroundings even though she has ‘motion blindness ‘. Over time her hearing has become more acute and she has a extremely sensitive sense of smell. Leah daydreams of romance with the food delivery boy and also of Mark her friend from the book store. She is lonely as she only has a small group of friends who are much much older. After Leah hears a heated argument coming from next door late at night, she becomes obsessed with Alice, her beautiful new neighbour, whom Leah believes ‘is her new family’. This is a great story, well written, with the anxiety slowly building but quickly becoming claustrophobic to the reader. I liked how the author described Leahs vision images as it added to the tension. There was a lot of clues written throughout the novel and I had several ideas but I was super surprised by the ending. I liked this book a lot. Belinda, QLD, 4 Stars
I am so very grateful to have been given the opportunity to review this book. Whilst I have read other books by this author, this book was a departure from his usual writing style and is a psychological thriller. The book describes the life of a 28-year-old woman, Leah, who suffers from akinetopsia (motion blindness) as a result of trauma she suffered as an eight-year-old. As a result of this, Leah’s eyes are unable to process movement; hence she sees life in still images. Leah is not blind however and has heightened senses such as smell and hearing. For many years, Leah has had a quiet and orderly life with little human contact apart from her mother, Antonia, her doctor, a man in a bookshop and Mrs Elman and Olivia (two elderly neighbours who live in the same apartment block as her). Her condition has prevented her from attending school, going to university or getting a job, things we often take for granted. Her mother has recently died and Leah is now living on her own. Her life changes in an instant when Alice moves into the apartment next door. One day Leah hears Alice through the apartment wall begging someone to help her. Leah decides that she must help Alice. So begins a roller coaster ride of a book. I didn’t see all of the twists and turns that were coming in the story and I certainly didn’t pick the ending! This book is very easy to read because of the short, complete chapters. Overall, I found The Silence in Her Eyes a very interesting and thoroughly enjoyable read and I am sure it will appeal to readers who enjoy psychological thrillers. Thank you to Better Reading and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a copy to read and review. Toni, SA, 4 Stars
The Silence in Her Eyes by Armando Lucas Correa is a psychological thriller. There are many twists and turns as this story unfolds. Leah is a 28-year-old who lives alone and suffers from a seeing disorder called akinetopsia which means she can’t process movement. Things take a turn for the worst when a new neighbour, Alice moves in next door. Gai, NSW, 4 Stars
The Silence in Her Eyes helped me survive school holidays. Receiving this book near Christmas, I could not put it down. I enjoyed the twists and turns, was just page-turning good. Julie, VIC, 4 Stars
The Silence in her Eyes by Armando Lucas Correa is an enthralling tale of Leah, who has suffered from akinetopsia since an accident when she was eight. Due to her disability, she has heightened awareness of sound, hearing and feeling. When her mother dies, she is more independent and strikes up a friendship with her new neighbour, Alice. Convinced that Alice’s life is in danger, Leah decides she needs to protect her. Despite the misgivings of her carer and other friends, Leah is caught up in Alice’s divorce proceedings. Leah questions her sanity, has she interpreted her senses correctly? Is Alice in need of help? How can Leah help? The reader is well and truly caught up in the drama. The book is well-written and the dangers facing Leah are believable. A real page-turner with a very dramatic and unforeseen ending, this is well worth reading. Annette, ACT, 4 Stars
This book is a mild thriller of a woman with Akinetopsia “motion blindness”. I’d never heard of this condition so I looked it up to see if it is a real condition. Yes it is. It is very well written but a little slow to start, wasn’t expecting the twist at the end. Susan, WA, 4 Stars
This book certainly taught me all about the rare condition of Akinetopsia or motion blindness. This psychological thriller had me guessing right to the last page. I could see Leah the main character walking around her neighbourhood with her white stick, with everyone she met assuming she was blind and could not see but she could see heaps. At times this book became confusing, was she dreaming or was it really happening? Were people her friends and helping her or were they deliberately making her life difficult? It’s not until the last few pages that all is revealed. If you love psychological thrillers you will love this book. Meredith, TAS, 4 Stars
Thank you to @betterreading and Simon and Schuster for this pre-publication book. This was an intriguing book dealing with a subject I knew nothing about. After finding out the reality of the condition akinetopsia I felt I could understand the story a little more. Leah was 28, and suffered from akinetopsia since she was 8. When the story opens, her mother has just died and she is living on her own with Antonia coming in daily to care for her. She fills her day in with photography and other interests, but has a heightened sense of people and hearing. Alice has just moved in next door and Leah feels she is in trouble. She is aware of a man who comes to Alice and also aware of the waves of anxiety that come off Alice. Eventually she meets Alice and they become friends. Alice admits it’s her husband who comes and visits and she is scared of him and trying to divorce him, but he is a powerful lawyer. Leah helps her as best she can. This novel has many twists and turns, so the storyline is good. I still found it hard to follow it in places and understand truly this eye/brain condition and how it was affecting Leah and the story that follows. Janet, QLD, 4 Stars
This new thriller is very different from what I expected it to be. The Silence in Her Eyes is an easy read. Characters are mostly elderly and very benign. Nothing particularly creepy or threatening about them. The author uses atmosphere and Leah’s feelings about what is going on around her to tell her story. I stumbled over the pronunciation of the condition that Leah suffers from. Everything was explained but I would have liked more. Sharon, ACT, 4 Stars
This book! Especially the ending. Umm okay, that took me by surprise! Which I love. This book had me needing to keep turning the pages to find out the big twist, which we did, only to have another big twist! This was a brilliant book. Tayla, VIC, 4 Stars
Leah has a rare disease known as motion blindness, which allows her to see but not movement. Her life is a kaleidoscope of blurry images. Her other senses have heightened strength. Leah befriends a neighbour named Alice. One night, Leah wakes up to someone in her apartment. When she overhears Alice pleading for help, Leah makes an instinctive decision that will have drastic consequences. It is a page-turner and a unique twist on the typical thriller. Samantha, QLD, 4 Stars
The Silence in Her Eyes by Armando Lucas has a slow moving, interesting and original plot with the main character Leah having akinetopsia, a condition that means she can’t see motion. It’s an easy read with short chapters and Leah’s condition was well explained throughout the narrative. The slow moving plot only just kept me interested but had a surprising, suspenseful finish. Karin, VIC, 3 Stars
Leah has akinetopsia or motion blindness, a condition I had never even heard of. She is also convinced her neighbour is going to be murdered. The book moves through quick sharp chapters with plenty of suspense which makes for an enjoyable read. This is not Correa’s usual historical fiction genre and at times this shows in the cadence of the storytelling, but overall a book you will enjoy and then find yourself with late night Google searches on akinetopsia. Tess, TAS, 3 Stars
We follow Leah the main character on her journey through her own life following the passing of her mother. Leah has akinetopsia… She cannot see movement. Her sight condition allows her other senses to be heightened, allowing Leah to hear and smell and feel what others cannot. We journey with Leah as she makes a new friend who is going through her own struggle, one which Leah thinks that she may be the best person to help her with. Having never read this author before I have to be honest that I was struggling and got a bit confused and unsure where the story was going in the middle of the book. This might be because I usually read crime thrillers and not psychological thrillers, but it did settle down and start to make sense again to me later. Elizabeth, VIC, 3 Stars
I felt sorry for Leah, the main character who has motion blindness, as she loses all the key people in her life. Then details come to light that have me wondering what clues I missed and if I should read the book again. Quick and easy read. Lyn, QLD, 3 Stars
The Silence in Her Eyes by Armando Lucas Correa was an interesting read. Following the story of Leah, a young woman who has akinetopsia (motion blindness). Leah sees the world around her, but as still images rather than in motion. People assume she is blind, and mostly treat her as such. Leah lives a solitary life, after the death of her parents, most recently, her mother. She has a housekeeper, Antonia, and neighbours who she sees regularly. Leah’s world changes when Alice, a newly separated woman, moves into the unit next door. Although Leah befriends Alice, all is not as it seems. Although I enjoyed The Silence in Her Eyes, I found the story did not flow smoothly, particularly with some chapters being only two or three pages long. There were times I was convinced I knew who or what was coming, only to be thrown by a complete change of direction in the story. This occurred particularly towards the end, with Leah’s background revealed slowly. Overall, I enjoyed the story and plot line, although the characters weren’t as deep as they could have been. Karen, WA, 3 Stars
A fascinating premise for the protagonist of this novel. Leah’s vision impairment creates an atmosphere of instability and dread that is compounded by the feeling of her being an unreliable narrator. The middle third built tension and was quite propulsive but the wrap-up felt rushed. I think a little more drip feeding of clues to the actual crimes would have been beneficial. Tundra, ACT, 3 Stars
A very different novel by bestselling author Armando Lucas Correa – The Silence in Her Eyes depicts Leah as a sufferer of akinetopsia or motion blindness. Leah’s experiences and descriptions of her sight are fascinating and the author’s descriptions of Leah’s neighbourhood and in particular her building make for a easily imagined setting. However the storyline lets the book down for me. It just didn’t seem plausible nor fully explained. I did enjoy the book, but have enjoyed his others more. Steph, NSW, 3 Stars
The protagonist in The Silence in Her Eyes has a rare medical condition which made the story rather interesting. However, I was often a bit confused about what was real and what was not throughout the story. The ending was totally unexpected so fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy it. It was too disturbing for me personally, but I’m sure fans of this genre will be intrigued. Alice, NSW, 3 Stars
The protagonist of the book is a woman suffering from akinetopsia, which is a rare condition where the person suffers from motion blindness. She is left alone after her mother and carer passes away. The book deals with her trying to navigate new relationships as she tries to become more self-sufficient. To me, the narrative of the book was a little confused. Wendi, VIC, 2 Stars
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