There’s a trope in the mystery/thriller genre of a protagonist with a physical impairment, compensated by heightened abilities in some other area. This novel’s case is quite unique. Leah has akinetopsia, a condition where the sufferer’s vision is restricted to stop-motion images. Rather than movement, she sees ‘photographs’. Uncannily, she cannot forget them. Along with that has come heightened senses of hearing and smell. The narrative highlights these in a sensory panorama. The level of olfactory ability is believable; the hearing acuity would be more appropriate (and credible) in a superhero franchise.
Leah lives in an apartment in New York. Her mother has recently died, and Leah has a carer, Antonia, who visits as needed. A new neighbour, Alice, moves in. Through the walls, Leah hears her crying. When they finally meet, Leah learns that Alice is trying to leave an abusive relationship. She says her rich lawyer husband, Michael, is alcoholic and violent. They soon become inseparable. Leah’s also friends with Mark, from the local bookstore, who leaves books for her to read each day.
Alice leads Leah on day trips through the city. Antonia, as well as Leah’s elderly neighbour and her therapist, Dr Allen, warn Leah that Alice may not be who she seems. Leah is aware of an intruder in her apartment, with the distinctive smell of bergamot. She tries to trace the man with that smell. Is Alice’s husband spying on her? Will Alice leave her husband? Is Leah in danger? What secrets in Leah’s past resurface?
Unfortunately, the narrative voice is overblown. The denouement is too reliant on revelatory exposition and Leah’s hearing superpower. While still a good read, sadly, the final product doesn’t match the extraordinary premise.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author of three historical novels: The German Girl, an international bestseller that has been translated into 16 languages, published in 30 countries and sold more than one million copies; The Daughter’s Tale and The Night Travelers.
His memoir, In Search of Emma: How We Created Our Family, about fatherhood, surrogacy, and IVF was published in Spanish by in 2021.
Armando began his career as an editor and reviewer at Tablas, a national theatre and dance magazine in Havana, before joining the reporting staff of El Nuevo Herald, the Spanish edition of The Miami Herald, in 1991.
In 2022, Correa received the Cintas Foundation Creative Writing Fellowship for The Night Travelers. In 2017, at the International Latino Book Awards, La niña alemana won the First Place (Best Fiction Book in Spanish) and The German Girl, Second Place (Best Fiction Book Translated from Spanish to English). He is the recipient of various outstanding achievement awards from the National Association of Hispanic Publications and the Society of Professional Journalists. He was the Hispanic Public Relations Association’s Journalist of the Year in 2017 and received the AT&T Humanity of Connection Award in 2018.
Armando lives in New York City with his husband and three children.
0 Comments