Out of Sight by Isabelle Grey

by Isabelle Grey

Who pays the price once tragedy strikes?In a small French town, Leonie is intrigued by a withdrawn Englishman who calls himself Patrice. He lives in a house inherited from his grandmother. He has no wife, no child, and refuses ever to get inside a car.Patrice tells Leonie little about his past, but she's certain her love will heal his emotional scars.Too late, she discovers that, five years before, Patrice was living in Brighton. He was called Patrick, and he had a wife and son. Until, one hot summer day, a moment of fatal forgetfulness changed his life forever.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published August 25, 2011

About the author

I write the DI Grace Fisher series of crime novels, set in Colchester, Essex. 'The Special Girls', the third in the series, was a Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Month. The first three books in the series are 'Good Girls Don't Die', 'Shot Through the Heart' and 'The Special Girls. The murder detective's fourth investigation, 'Wrong Way Home', was a Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month.

Quercus also publish my novels of psychological suspense, 'Out of Sight' and the Amazon bestseller 'The Bad Mother', as well as historical fiction by my new writing persona, V.B. Grey.

As a screenwriter I've contributed episodes to such television crime dramas as 'The Bill', 'Wycliffe', 'Rosemary & Thyme' and 'Midsomer Murders' and, with Jimmy McGovern, an episode of the Bafta and International Emmy award-winning BBC series 'Accused'.

I enjoy writing crime and suspense because such gripping and tightly-woven stories offer a chance to explore how secrets come back to haunt us, the chilling emotions of why people kill, how love can go terrifyingly wrong, and the psychology of what we most fear.

I was born within the sound of Bow Bells in London's East End, grew up in Manchester, lived for ten years on what was once a tidal island at the edge of the Romney Marsh, and now live and work in north London.

Reviews

[Melanie Caldicott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing book. The premise interested me and I was enticed by the blurb of this book. However, I found myself reading pages and pages of Leonie mooning over Patrice which went on far too long. There lacked substance to the explanation behind Patrick's past and I felt the conclusion of the book was empty and hollow. Hate reading books which you keep reading hoping for some twist or redeeming moment which just never appears.

[Cleopatra Pullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isabelle Grey's first book drew me in from the first page, and even better, continued to do so until the last page. The story starts in 2005 with Patrick's parents visiting him, his wife and son. Patrick's mother is an anxious woman and the description of her behaviour hits the mark exactly, the tensions that spread to those in her orbit were so accurately described it was painful to read.

In 2011 a woman in France meets Patrice and falls completely in love with him. Again the emotions of all involved are completely believable so that I really felt I got to know the characters. The pace of this book is perfect.

Fantastic writing with the right amount of intrigue I'm looking forward to Isabelle Grey's next novel The Bad Mother.

[Sharon Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of Sight is a third person narrative and told in four parts. I really enjoyed the way this is laid out allowing the mystery and tension to build.

In Part One we’re in Sussex and it’s 2005. The reader gets to know Patrick, his family and parents. The reader is left on a cliffhanger. We know that something is about to unfold but not what.

Part Two finds us in France. It’s now 2010 and we become involved in Patrice’s relationship with Leonie. It is through a conversation with Leonie that we find out he was married for three years and is now divorced. He tells Leonie.

“I let her down. There was no future for us together.”

The reader knows he is lying about one thing but is still unaware of what happened on that day in July where we left Patrick in 2005.

Leonie knows that Patrice is wounded in some way and often refers to him as a wild animal being hunted. There is an incident where Patrice’s reaction is fearful. He withdraws from the relationship with Leonie by becoming unavailable. Leonie asks herself all sorts of questions. She wants to save him:

“How she longed to lead him out into the sunshine where he could be his best and fullest self, for she was intuitively sure it was what Patrice himself most wanted, however deeply buried that wish might be right now.” (page 113)

There is another life-changing moment and Patrice handles it in the same way he’s handled everything else so far. This is a poignant time in the story as we suffer with Leonie. Leonie’s best friend Stella directs her to look at an article from the Brighton Argus. Now Leonie knows what happened on that fateful day …

Part Three we’re back in Sussex, 2005 where everything is laid bare. For me, this was the most heart-wrenching and brought out the rawest emotions. Exquisitely written, we experience everything Patrick and Belinda do. The reader begins to understand more about Patrick’s childhood and his beliefs, which have shaped him.

In Part Four it’s London, 2011. Leonie is sharing Stella’s flat. Despite her loss and the subsequent depression, Leonie still holds hope in her heart that there is a future for herself and Patrick. This part caused me the most confusion in how I felt about Patrick. Having not liked him in France, then beginning to understand him when we revisit his life in Sussex and even sympathising with him a little … in London he made me angry and I loathed him. I could understand why he compartmentalised for self-preservation and why he never truly engaged with life – always wearing his mask, unavailable on an emotional level … but I still loathed him! I hate to admit it but I could see myself in Leonie …

It is here where we realise that other people also hold their secrets close and the wounds they carry, which interfere with engagement on a deeper emotional level … and the redemption that’s possible when we understand this.

Out of Sight is a story about forgetfulness, tragedy, loss, how we deal with that loss and carry on engaging in life … but it’s also about family secrets and how our role models from childhood affect our trust in the universe to keep us safe and provide for us. The reader is taken on a psychological and very emotional journey alongside these brilliantly portrayed characters.

This is a debut novel that has provoked all sorts of emotions in me and will stay with me for a long time.

I would like to thank the author and Quercus for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Books 'n' All Promotions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well when I read Bad Mother I wasn't impressed and decided not to read anything by Isabelle Grey again but I bought Out of Sight via a Kindle deal without noticing the author. I have to admit I thought this was significantly better than Bad Mother however I still felt that the characters were a bit far fetched. That said I enjoyed the book would have wished for a better ending but definitely worth the 4 stars and it has persuaded me to take I Grey off my blacklist.

[Ann Rawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers...

Pass the rescue remedy, I need it...

I was very disappointed in this novel, but perhaps that's just because I had the impression it was a psychological suspense novel. It was also on one of my favourite themes - about the disturbing impact of family secrets and those things that remain unspoken.

Instead it turned out to be more of a novel about a broken man who just needed the love of a succession of good women in order to be healed. More or less.

The premise is interesting - the novel asks what would become of a person who in some kind of psychological fugue state accidentally caused the death of his beloved young child.

I suppose I was also irritated by the character of Patrick. He was trained as a medical doctor and for some unspecified reason gave it all up to be a homoeopath. So the story is suffused with all kinds of nonsense about miasms and the memory of water, and the intergenerational inheritance of psychological trauma.

In spite of all that it was well written and the characters had depth and were interesting. Do I risk the first novel of her new detective series? I don't know.

[Alison Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

The "hero" in this book was such a self absorbed weirdo, and all the women suffered from such emotional incontinence that I got tired of all of them!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable book, well written and didn't get bored with the story and the ending was good.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoped the ending would be the same emotional roller coaster as this strong story,didn't quite get there, but thoroughly enjoyed all the same.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of secrets and the burden a child carries over from an unhappy childhood into adulthood. Beautifully realised and sensitively told.

[Christie (The Ludic Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of Sight, by British writer Isabelle Grey, is the story of Patrick Hinde, a homeopath who, when the novel opens, lives with his wife, Belinda, and young son, Daniel, in Brighton. He has a happy life, for the most part, except for the stress brought on when his parents visit. He seems to be a bottled up sort of fellow and although he is capable of offering impartial advice to his patients, I wonder if he wouldn’t benefit from his own advice. As the novel goes on, readers will become aware of Patrick’s own emotional trauma, a condition he describes as “An inherited predisposition…something that leaves a residue which has a negative impact on the vital force.”

Flash forward five years and meet Patrice (aka Patrick) who is now living in the house his grandmother Josette left him in France. Leonie, another Brit who is working in the same small town as a letting agent for holiday properties, meets Patrice and is immediately smitten. Patrice proves to be a bit cagey, but despite his reticence to share feelings or disclose too much about his life, Leonie sets her romantic sights on him.

Leonie, for her part, is still recovering from a recent break-up. You’d think she’d know better than to put all her romantic eggs into Patrice’s clearly flawed basket, but she’s keen on him. The heart wants what it wants, that sort of thing, even though Patrice tells her he doesn’t “want [her] thinking he’s a good bet when [he’s] not.”

Patrice’s reluctance to get too involved with Leonie is legitimate. There’s nothing sinister about it, though, although you might be mislead by the novel’s tagline “A moment of madness. A family changed forever.” For some reason I was under the impression that Out of Sight was going to be sort of a thriller and it’s really not.

I didn’t dislike Out of Sight, but I didn’t love it either. I found Leonie tiresome and although I don’t dispute the fact that Patrick’s trauma is worthy of sympathy, at the end of the day the book lacked any real emotional heft for me.

[Book Grocer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchase Out of Sight here for just $8!

When Leonie meets the mysterious Patrice, secrets will be uncovered that will change both of them. Told in 4 parts and switching between times and locations, Grey has written a beautiful mystery of a novel. An excellent debut that will make you hungry for her next book.

Elisa - The Book Grocer

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book. A bit repetitive. Story was about a tragedy that is all too common, sadly and it is riveting. However, that said felt too many questions remained unresolved. Like Patrick's father. What's his deal?
I liked how I sympathized with Patrick then disliked him back and forth through the whole book.
Good read though.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although not a badly written book I would have liked better clarification with regards to the main character's personality and the background reasons as to why he was like he was. I felt that his family history could have been better explored particularly towards the end as this would have given more closure

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story didn't live up to the promise I feel, but was still quite readable. A study of human imperfection, grief and the impact of childhood experiences. The ending wasn't neat, and I appreciated that.

[Teresa D · Rating 1 out of 5]

So very tedious.

[Annie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing/Heart Gripping. Looking for more of Isabelle's Books.

[Deborah Wargate · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read on the train. Fast pace, good breaks between the segments, main characters draw you in.

[Nicolette · Rating 2 out of 5]

ISABELLE Grey’s debut novel did not tug at my heart strings like I expected after reading the front cover blurb “builds the emotional suspense with white-hot intensity”. I guess the key word in that blurb is emotional.
The story isn’t so much about a tragic incident that takes place at the beginning of the book – and if you’re intuitive like me, you’ll figure it out in a heartbeat – but it’s more about people and how they cope with life, relationships and the past.
It’s an emotional book in the sense that although it is set in France and England there is no wonderful imagery conveyed around these places. Meals are shared, but there’s no sense of deliciousness associated with the food eaten. So with that in mind Out of Sight is a book about thoughts, decisions and discussions – internal struggles, even. A big part of the book is also about parents fears being projected onto their kids.
Patrick Hinde is happily married with a baby boy when tragedy strikes. He moves to France, calls himself Patrice and tries to forget about his past. He gets involved in a relationship with a woman called Leonie. While at first Leonie seems sweet and endearing, she soon becomes irritating and pathetic in her quest to understand Patrice’s past and to make him hers.
The story then flips back to reveal just what happened regarding the tragedy.
Had there been spelling mistakes, I probably would have put the book down sooner, but it was well-edited. So out of boredom I carried on reading, and I’m glad because the story slightly redeems itself.

[Michelle Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very sad novel about an unspeakably terrible accident with a young child, and its consequences. While I found it interesting, I found the writing strangely detached and didn't empathise enough with the characters- especially Leonie. It felt like I was reading it from afar. For me, the story was overwhelmed by the early incident, the accident. And once that was set out- which was pretty early on, especially so if you like me guess what happened- then the rest of the book was uncomfortably dark as the characters suffer, recover and relapse in quick succession. An interesting book, but not one for the feint hearted, and definitely not one for someone recently bereaved or with acute emotional sensitivity. Not sure I'd go out of my way to recommend.

[Julie Watkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

a truly difficult book to read. as a mother with a baby myself I found it impossible to have any sympathy for the main character Patrick who forgot about having his child in the car. however distracted u get surely u couldn't forget about your child all day leaving them to perish in a hot car. I was annoyed his wife never seemed to be upset with him and the Leonie character would have put up with any rubbish from him. my sympathies were all for the poor baby. the rest of the characters seemed devoid of feelings an unsympathetic bunch

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sounded a really interesting, fascinating story but I got totally bogged down with it and gave it up after 98 pages. It was all a bit too descriptive and deep for my liking.
I got a little tired of all the homeopathic medicine stuff and sentences such as "so that the alchemy of the healing encounter remained unself-conscious". A bit too much like old tosh for me !! I prefer my English to be of the plainer variety.
There were no mistakes, though, in the pages I read.

[Kate Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but it was unbearably slow and caught up inside the characters' heads--all told from a tell rather than show omniscient POV--and without much happening. To be honest, it's one of those books that makes me wonder how it got published. The writing is good, but the plot and character development just simply isn't there.

[Denise F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dull. The first part of the book showed potential and I anticipated a mystery of some kind. One was eventually created but I'd lost I interest by then. Weak annoying characters, pretentiousness, it just didn't do it for me. I was left wishing someone would shoot the main male character and put us all out of our misery!

[Hayley Baldwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is... Okay. It's interesting enough, but none of the characters are especially likeable, and the plot is easy to guess from about a tenth of the way into the book.

It's a pleasant enough way to pass some time, but there are much better books. I don't recommend it, or the same author's second book.

[Natalie Sampson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was intriguing and I liked the forward/back through time structure of the narrative... the only thing I really really didn't like was the main character. I know we're supposed to feel empathy for him and his history is supposed to set up his actions, but geeeeez, he was a jerk. Not liking him made it really hard to like the rest of the story.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good story idea and a quick read but I found that I kept waiting for something else to happen the entire story aside from the main tragedy. Like waiting for an ugly secret to pop up and explain things but it never did. It ended all neat and tidy so to speak. Like I said good story but nothing spectacular.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It sounded like it would be an interesting read but it was really dull and a long drawn out story. I got bored of it for long periods of time and only finished it because I hate to leave a book unfinished. I may as well have though as it wasn't any better at the end.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was well written, with a well developed storyline until the end, where I really disliked Patrick and felt that the plot was stretched or moved too quickly. Hence the 4 stars rather than 5.

[Jenni Garratt* · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book with twists & turns, but ended abruptly!