Woman with Rare Condition Suspects Neighbour

The Silence in Her Eyes is a psychological thriller that revolves around Leah, a young woman with akinetopsia, a rare neurological condition that impairs her ability to perceive motion. Following the death of her mother, Leah's life becomes increasingly complicated as she navigates her unique condition and the kindness of others. Her sense of isolation deepens when she becomes convinced that her neighbour's husband is planning to kill her. This belief drives her into a world of suspense and paranoia that keeps the reader on edge.

One of the book's strengths is its original and thought-provoking premise. Leah's condition provides a fresh take on the psychological thriller genre. The character development and thematic depth are also commendable. However, the slow pacing may not appeal to all readers, and some may find the plot's progression too gradual for a thriller.

The Silence in Her Eyes is a compelling read for those who enjoy psychological thrillers with deep character exploration and thematic complexity. While it may require patience, the payoff in the form of a surprising climax makes it a worthwhile read.

A 28 year old woman with akinetopsia (motion blindness) struggles to form relationships while the people in her life that love her have died one by one and she is left alone.
The smell of bergamot haunts her as she tries to unfold the mystery of her new neighbor and her abusive husband.

It was ok. The mystery of the story unfolding is what kept me reading. Leah seems immature for her age and is way to trusting of new relationships.
I wouldn't really call it a 'thriller" because it was a slow moving story. But the ending had an unexpected twist.

This is such an interesting premise with such a GORGEOUS cover!!! i really enjoyed this one, slow burn mystery, well written and I liked the ending

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-copy to read and review!

The Silence in Her Eyes started out strong. I thought that the premise was unique and with a main character with akinetopsia (motion blindness) at the forefront, it had so much potential. I'd never heard about akinetopsia before reading this book so I was very intrigued. Through this novel and endless Google searches, I ended up learning quite a bit about this disorder, which I am thankful for.

That being said, I found this book began losing momentum about half way through. There was quite a lot of build up in the first part, which I loved but it took an unexpected turn from there, and I found I began to lose interest. As the story fizzled and then dragged, I was no longer invested the way that I had been.

Title: The Silence in Her Eyes
Author: Armando Lucas Correa
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 2.50
Pub Date: January 16, 2024

I received a complimentary eARC from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Insightful • Bold • Confusing

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Leah has been living with akinetopsia, or motion blindness, since she was a child. For the last twenty years, she hasn’t been able to see movement. As she walks around her upper Manhattan neighborhood with her white stick tapping in front, most people assume she’s blind. But the truth is Leah sees a good deal, and with her acute senses of smell and hearing, very little escapes her notice.

She has a quiet, orderly life, with little human contact beyond her longtime housekeeper, her doctor, and her elderly neighbor. That all changes when Alice moves into the apartment next door and Leah can immediately smell the anxiety wafting off her. Worse, Leah can’t help but hear Alice and a late-night visitor engage in a violent fight. Worried, she befriends her neighbor and discovers that Alice is in the middle of a messy divorce from an abusive husband.

Then one night, Leah wakes up to someone in her apartment. She blacks out and in the morning is left wondering if she dreamt the episode. And yet the scent of the intruder follows her everywhere. And when she hears Alice through the wall pleading for her help, Leah makes a decision that will test her courage, her strength, and ultimately her sanity.

💭 T H O U G H T S

The Silence in Her Eyes is a step outside Armando Lucas Correa's typical genre (historical fiction), yet I was intrigued by the unique premise and the main character having a rare neurological condition known as akinetopsia (motion blindness).

Unfortunately, getting through this novel was a real struggle for me. Firstly, some of the writing techniques (real vs. dreams) resulted in an incredibly choppy rhythm where I didn't always know what was going on. Secondly, the pacing was so slow for a mystery/thriller despite tension being introduced quite early on. Lastly, I didn't recognize Leah as a unreliable narrator right away and her character read so much younger than her actual age. It's possible this was done on purpose, but her immaturity just didn't work for me.

On a different note, the akinetopsia (motion blindness) element was interesting. I enjoyed getting to learn about how she managed her everyday life with this disorder, but it didn't end up playing as pivotal a role in the unraveling of the plot as I would have hoped for. I cannot know for sure if this is an accurate depiction of motion blindness or not.

Overall, The Silence in Her Eyes was a quick read, but it was also a let down. I kept thinking it would get better, and the ending does come together, but it was too little too late. I definitely thought the premise would make for a winning novel, but it just didn't come together. I will continue to read this author's historical fiction, but it's not likely I would read anything they write outside that genre.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• anyone looking for a book with MC disability rep

⚠️ CW: death, death of parent, grief, murder, suicidal thoughts, suicide, cancer, chronic illness, domestic abuse, violence, blood, mental illness, depression, addiction, drug abuse, drug use, overdose, alcohol, alcoholism, pregnancy, ableism

⭐️3.5 (rounded up)
A quick interesting read! Just under 300 pages, The Silence in Her Eyes was a great debut thriller from Correa. I've rating this three stars since it was quite slow to get into, its a slow-burn but a thriller and doesn't really pick up under the last 1/3 of the book. I usually like a faster paced thriller, but the length of this book made it easy to binge. Adding to this the fact the Correa is an excellent writer, this is perfect for someone that likes to keep guessing throughout the book.

The Silence in Her Eyes is Correa's first foray into the thriller genre. I have loved his historical works and the research done.

In this one, he crafts a psychological thriller around a little known disability, akinetopsia, a type of motion blindness. I found that whole part of the story really fascinating, imagining what it would be like to live life like that. To me, that was by far the most interesting part of the story and where Correa's researching skills shone.

The story itself was fine. Leah, quiet, orderly and isolated (perhaps a little naive), lives alone in her apartment with the assistance of a few solid people in her life. When Alice moves in next door, everything changes. Alice is anxious and Leah senses she's in trouble. Their friendship stretches and stresses Leah but, as the story progresses, Leah is forced to question what is real until she is forced into action in a way that is completely out of character.

Short chapters and a writing style that left bits dangling for the reader to grasp onto made this a compelling and bingeable read.

Overall, this was a good thriller debut for Correa and I'm curious to see what he puts out next.

This was an interesting thriller from Armando Lucas Correa. While the author is best known for his historical fiction, this is his first thriller.
While the book didn't wow me, I think it was very well written. The author centered the story around its main character, Leah, who was an intriguing young lady. But the secondary characters were hard to follow and their reasoning seemed very far-fetched. I wasn't sure until the end if the story was true or a figment of Leah's imagination. I will not spoil it for you, but I liked the fact that it made me wonder and kept me on my toes. Especially the last third of the book, which I flew through!

This was a slow burn thriller and I prefer thrillers that move at a faster pace. I also did not love the main character which made it hard for me to empathize. Finally, I did enjoy the ending.

Unfortunately, this book was not it. I had really high hopes for it. I really wanted to love it, yet somehow, I did not. I think it’s me, not the book though. Although slow-paced, the book is well-written, and the premise is good, the story is solid. Yet somehow it didn’t really work for me. I guess we were not a match, me and this book. I’m sorry.

3.5 Stars! Simmering, edgy, and intricate!

The Silence in Her Eyes is an intriguing, slow-burning psychological thriller that takes you on a journey into the life of Leah Anderson as she juggles the loss of her mother, adapting to living alone with akinetopsia, a night-time intruder who smells like bergamot and may wish to do her harm, and a new neighbour who seems like the perfect friend but who may actually be too good to be true.

The prose is crisp and tight. The characters are secretive, persuasive, and vulnerable. And the plot is a complex, menacing tale of family, friendship, deception, lies, drama, manipulation, secrets, revelations, suspicious personalities, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Silence in Her Eyes is a suspenseful, twisty, intense tale by Correa that I found a little hard to follow at times but which, ultimately, did a remarkable job of highlighting that people aren’t always who they seem to be and murderers come in many different faces.

If you are on the lookout for a psychological thriller with a unique premise, look no further than The Silence In Her Eyes by Armando Lucas Correa. Main character Leah has akinetopsia, or the inability to see movement. Seeing the world one snapshot at a time, to the outside world, Leah is often overlooked and underestimated. The blind girl who reads, she seems comfortable allowing others to make assumptions about her. Leah’s Mother has recently died, and she is watched over by the neighbours in her apartment building. When Alice moves in next door, Leah’s heightened sense of hearing alerts her that Alice is in danger from her abusive husband. Befriending Alice, she becomes obsessed with Alice’s wellbeing even though those close to her advise her that everything is not as it seems. Through conversations with Leah and her neighbours, therapist, and friends, and her sparing memories and vision, Leah is revealed as the ultimate unreliable narrator. The scattered pieces of her past slowly come together to form a picture of an interesting character and a story with an unpredictable twist. This book would appeal to readers of Alex Michaelides, Ruth Ware, Gillian Flynn. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read a book like this ever but it gripped me from the beginning until I devoured every word of it

I recently finished The Silence in her Eyes a suspenseful psychological thriller that promised an intriguing plot. While the first 60% of the book kept me engaged, the rest left me disappointed, feeling like I was reading an entirely different story.

One aspect of the book that truly fascinated me was the unique portrayal of the main character, who suffered from a rare condition called akinetopsia. This disability, which affects the ability to perceive motion, was a refreshing and innovative concept in the genre. Reading this book allowed me to learn a lot about it!

I believe the author went a little overboard in giving the MC additional skills. It became unrealistic when the main character possessed the ability to selectively stop sensing certain things at will, like ceasing to smell or hear her surroundings in order to focus on one particular scent or sound. The timeline of the story between certain events were confusing too.

Initially, I was captivated by the story and finished the book in less than 24 hours, desperate to uncover its conclusion. However, as the narrative progressed, it failed to deliver the suspense and twists that I had anticipated.

I must say that the author's writing style was great. The writing was beautiful, and certain quotes resonated deeply with me.

I would rate with three out of five stars.

(2.5 stars rounded up to 3)

This book started off really good for me, but then the second half was a let-down, and I ended up not liking it very much unfortunately.

Leah, the main character, suffers from akinetopsia - motion blindness (which I found to be a really interesting premise for a psychological thriller). After her mother's death, a new neighbour moves in next door. She is getting a divorce from her abusive husband, and Leah is convinced that she is in trouble.

I was often confused by what was real and what was one of Leah's dreams. Also, I didn't quite understand the smell of bergamot and if it was all her imagination. The ending didn't clear that up for me either.

I found the characters to be a bit flat, and I didn't feel much empathy for them. Even Leah, despite her being "the poor blind girl", was not a character I could get emotionally invested in.

I will say that the revelations near the end had me rereading a couple of pages to make sure I understood correctly. I was definitely shocked!

A suspenseful story written by an author of historical fiction books.

Since childhood, Leah suffered from a rare neurological disease called akinetopsia. People thought she was blind, but she saw more than they thought. When her new neighbor moved next door, Leah's life changed significantly. She heard her neighbor crying and arguing on the phone. Alice was going through a difficult divorce from her abusive husband, and Leah was worried about her new friend. When an intruder entered Leah's room one night while she was sleeping, she became concerned that she, too, was in danger. The intruder smelled of bergamot, the same scent she smelled in her neighbor's apartment a few days later.

When I read the summary of this book, I was immediately intrigued by the topic of rare neurological disease. At the same time, I was skeptical about reading a suspenseful thriller written by an author of historical novels.

Saying that, I liked this story. Leah was a young woman who lived alone in an apartment. She couldn't see movements, but her hearing and sense of smell were very acute. She was always on guard, always suspicious and afraid. I was amazed by her independence, but I was still concerned about her well-being.

Correa presented an interesting and suspenseful story of a woman suffering from motion blindness. There is no room for imaginary conclusions here. The author used a perfect plot twist to end the story.

Interesting premise - a woman, Lucy, who can’t see movement (motion blindness) suspects her neighbour is being abused by her husband and gets drawn into their lives. I had not heard of motion blindness before and it was interesting to learn about it. I liked that the main character was written as an independent person living with a disability.

However, I found parts of the story a bit hard to follow, including distinguishing between what was real versus imagined/dreamt. There was overall a good sense of tension leading up to a key event mid-way through the book. The second part of the book unfolded slowly and it was unclear where it was heading but it did eventually lead to an unexpected, clever reveal near the end. I did find the details around the reveal a bit hard to follow and had to read them several times to figure out exactly what happened. Overall, a mixed read for me.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Silence in Her Eyes

The Silence in Her Eyes centres around Leah who has a unique form of blindness when she is unable to perceive movement. Leah is also shrouded around death of friends and loved ones and acquaintances.

The novel started off well with its interesting premise, however the drawn out narratives and then abrupt push in plot felt clunky. There were parts intended to trick the reader (awake vs dreams & real vs imagined) that unfortunately came across as confusing and ultimately were lost or overshadowed by the myriad of plot points.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for my advanced digital copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this early read. The book was okay. It was not really thrilling for me and I found it a bit too slow for a thriller. I did enjoy reading short chapters because it helped me read it but it was not interesting enough for me to keep me reading. I didn’t really desire picking it up. I thinj the book had potential but needed more tightening up of the story.

The Silence in Her Eyes follows Leah - who has akinetopsia also know as motion blindness. She wasn’t born with it, but has had it since she was very young. She lives in an apartment where everyone knows her, except the new neighbour. Insert Alice, Leah’s next door neighbour who she has been thinking about constantly, until there is a visitor in her apartment (she figures out through smell) and will do anything to figure out who it is.

This one is such a unique story. that’s what drew me into it right away. Trying to live through Leah’s ‘sight’ between her single visions, her daily life and how she uses other senses to figure things out. The mystery is there and it pulls you in. The writing is quick and easy, with short chapters making you say "But, just one more chapter" many times at 2:00am.

However, this one fell flat for me. And it’s really just the ending, there are twists and turns and constant questions going through your brain. I only give this one a 2/5 ⭐️.

I want to see others reviews about this so if you’ve read it please let me know!