It was the first one I've read by this particular author who apparently has written several others. I enjoyed it although it's not my fave psych thriller I've ever read.
STORY SUMMARY
Leah, 28 years old and single, lives in NYC in upper Manhattan. She has been blind since age 8 and a horrible accident in her parents' bathroom. It left her with a condition called akinetopsia which is known as motion blindness. She can only see still images. She sees the world as blurry images usually. She uses a white stick so people who don't know her do assume she's fully blind. But she sees a lot of what's going on and has very acute senses of smell and hearing. Not much escapes her notice.
Her mother has recently died (her father died when she was 8) and so Leah live a rather quiet life. She doesn't have much human contact other than with Antonia, her long time housekeeper, her doctor, and her elderly neighbors. Leah owns the apartment she lives in as she inherited it after her mother died. It's been in the family for years. The apartment next to hers, number 34, has been empty for awhile but suddenly there's someone moving in! It's another woman...a little bit older than Leah...named Alice. Leah can immediately sense the anxiety wafting off of Alice. And Leah can also hear a late night violent fight going on with Alice and a late-night visitor. Leah wants to help, so she befriends Alice and discovers that her new neighbor is in the middle of a nasty divorce from an abusive husband who also happens to be a powerful lawyer.
One night, Leah wakes up to someone in her apartment. She blacks out. In the morning she wonders if it was just a dream. But the scent of bergamot pervades her apartment....is it the scent of the intruder? It must be.
When Leah hears Alice pleading for her help through the walls of the apartment, Leah makes a decision that will test her courage, strength and ultimately her sanity. What she sees when she goes next door changes everything.
MY THOUGHTS
The first thing I noticed about this book is that the plot doesn't match the description on the jacket cover regarding when the intruder enters Leah's apartment. So that was off-putting. She hadn't met Alice yet.
I loved the setting and character development and that Leah, the main character is a strong, independent woman. The plot has some twists and it's quite suspenseful. However, it's slow moving, in my opinion, so I was happy that the chapters were short. It (the ending) wasn't expected nor predictable so that does make the book get more of a plus from me.
I kind of already guessed the issues the main character had regarding her past and her father....it was interesting to see all the pieces come together.
I was quite interested in the photography class presenters and wished that the author had developed them a bit more and their relationship with Leah. The exhibit that featured Leah's eyes was an amazing scene....it was almost creepy in a sense. The whole bergamot scent though was just getting on my every last nerve. I was so done with it. and here it comes again at the end of the book.
Although not a "spooky spiritual" book, this book does have a weird, almost sinister type of vibe to it. Especially the ending. But overall, this is not a psychological thriller that gets a pure 10 from me.
There were just a few editing errors throughout the book.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 7.
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