THE SILENCE IN HER EYES

Suehyla El-Attar Young delivers a strong narration of this disturbing psychological thriller. Leah has a rare medical condition, akinetopsia, which prevents her from seeing anything in motion. She can see stationary objects, but once they move, they disappear. However, her other senses are heightened. At first, Young presents this first-person narrative conversationally, but when Leah believes someone is in her apartment--she smells her least favorite scent, bergamot--Young makes Leah's fear tangible with subtle changes in her voice and tempo. Leah's world becomes nightmarish when she overhears a violent fight between her next-door neighbor, Alice, and her abusive soon-to-be ex-husband. An abundance of exposition makes for a slow start, but patience will reward listeners with an intelligent, engaging mystery. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2024]