behind-her-eyes-by-sarah-pinboroughBy Sarah Pinborough

HarperCollins, out January 26

The lives of two very different women become intertwined…

Sarah Pinborough’s new psychological thriller is being marketed with the hashtag #WTFThatEnding, which I suspect will lead many readers – as it did me – to spend a good part of the book trying to second guess the author. I’ll be really surprised if many people do see it coming: Pinborough does play totally fair with the reader, but you’ll still be blindsided.

In some ways, Behind Her Eyes reminds me of Christopher Nolan’s Memento. Not that it’s told in the same backwards manner as that movie, but that nearly every scene makes you reassess what you thought you knew about the characters – both those narrating the story, and those they’re describing. Additionally, the scenes set “then” colour your viewpoint of those set “now” and vice versa and Pinborough is extremely careful over how and when information is doled out. Both of those may sound like things that should obviously be part and parcel of all writing – particularly in the case of a thriller – but all too often they’re not, and Pinborough’s deft handling ensures you’re very quickly drawn into the labyrinthine plot.

Sarah Pinborough has been honing her craft for some years, and in Behind Her Eyes, she mixes the sharp eye for characterisation she displayed in The Language of Dying and The Death House with the taut plotting and unreliable narration of 13 Minutes. It’s a book that you really don’t want spoiled – and one that you’ll go back and reread very quickly with fresh eyes after #WTFThatEnding…

Verdict: Read it. Now. Sarah Pinborough’s best… so far! 10/10

Paul Simpson

Behind Her Eyes is the Book at Bedtime on BBC Radio 4 from Monday 20th March for a fortnight expertly read by Rosie Cavaliero and Tracy Wiles. Click here for the iPlayer link