Unusual subject matter for this fiction. After regaining her sight through a ground-breaking operation, Nova finds her new sense bewildering and exhausting. Learning to see is not as simple as you might imagine – Nova sees like a baby, cannot judge distance, cannot distinguish one object from another but sees everything as a flat plain. Several times she wishes she had not undergone the operation, and dons her dark glasses again to go back to being blind.
This part of the narrative was interesting and challenging, as I had never imagined regaining your sight could be a two-way street, and sometimes unwelcome; Joe Heap describes it all very well.
As the story develops, Nova begins a relationship with a friend Kate she meets in the hospital, wife of an abusive policeman who can’t seem to pluck up the courage to leave her husband. They end up in a love affair, which has so many ups and downs I felt that the narrative had stagnated somewhat, and had become repetitive.
Ploughed on through but found the ending unconvincing. Nevertheless, I expect this book might win awards. Anyone read this and completely disagree?
