When I first approached this novel, I had no idea what a shut eye was. Apparently a Shut Eye is a true psychic, as opposed to frauds. That got me interested right away because I love anything psychic. I don’t know if I really believe in psychics per se but reading about them is always thrilling for me, so I was really looking forward to this novel!
One unlocked door was all it took for little Daniel Buck to run out of his house. Now, only five footprints encased in cement remain. Every day, Anna Buck, Daniel’s mother, sits outside and polishes these little prints to a shine, keeping them safe. It’s the only thing that makes her feel safe. When she hears about a psychic who is said to be able to be the real deal, Anna grasps at the chance. Maybe he can tell her where her son is. But is this man really who he claims to be? Is he a shut eye? Or something far worse than just a fake?
So after reading this story, what I have to say is …. this story doesn’t resemble this premise at all. You’ve got this detective inspector who is really rude and full of himself, and he’s apparently unable to let go of a missing persons case. Not the one described in the synopsis but another one. In the meantime, you read about the Buck family and their struggle with the grief and anxiety that comes from losing their son and not having any definitive answers on what happened to him. You have this mention of a psychic who the detective inspector believes is a fraud, and who Anna believes is her last hope. And then somehow the story changes and we’ve got Anna who is suddenly clairvoyant. The build up in this story is fantastic, and the characters are definitely different and not what I’m used to. Both of these aspects are things I like. However, the actual reveal of the perpetrator and their motive …. well, it fell short for me. It felt like it was just wrapped up in that way because the author couldn’t think of a more clever way of explaining it all. The ending was decent, and left me with a bittersweet feeling. All in all, this was a decent book but other than the unique characters and the moments of clairvoyance, it wasn’t that great.
Happy reading ~