Title: The Eye of the Beholder

Author: Margie Orford

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Canongate

Publication Date: 7th July 2022

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

When danger lies in the eye of the beholder, what happens when you reject its pull?

Cora carries secrets her daughter can’t know.
Freya is frightened by what her mother leaves unsaid.
Angel will only bury the past if it means putting her abusers into the ground.

One act of violence sets the three women on a collision course, each desperate to find the truth. In a nail-biting thriller set between the scorched red soil of South Africa, the pitiless snowfields of Canada and the chilly lochsides of western Scotland, each woman must contend with the spectres of male violence, sexual abuse and the choices we each make to keep our souls.

Review:

I was drawn in by the icy landscape on the cover of The Eye of the Beholder, and the book totally lived up to its stark and unyielding promise. The story follows three women connected by an act of violence whose lives are in many ways shadowed by abuse and trauma. I don’t want to say much more, as I feel that this is one of those books where it is more effective to let the narrative unfold like a journey. However, I would put a slight caveat here and mention that The Eye of the Beholder covers some very dark topics and is often pretty harrowing so do take care regarding triggers.

I found this book both incredibly moving and deeply unsettling. The author is an expert with language and imagery in a way that is elegant yet violent and visceral all in one breath. There is an overwhelming sense of loss and sadness to The Eye of the Beholder which permeates the story in a quietly beautiful manner. It is subtle in its delivery whilst also exuding profound power and emotion. It is about the way abuse lingers and infects multiple generations. It is not an easy read. It is distressing – but it has to be to tell the story it does – and it tells that story with grace and dark clarity. I highly recommend.

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Thank you so much to Tracy Fenton and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

Buy the book:

Waterstones | Blackwell’s | Amazon