Not If I See You First- Eric Lindstrom

Parker Grant doesn’t need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That’s why she created the Rules: Don’t treat her any differently just because she’s blind, and never take advantage.

Parker is a junior in high school, she is sassy, she is smart and she is an athlete. Being blind doesn’t stop her from being normal. But normal brings all sorts of issues with it; and when her father dies, Parker has her own way of dealing with it.

Character Development

Parker has a set of rules which govern her character. She is savagely independent and fiercely self reliant. Her character development drives the story. I loved the first person narration where the emotional side of the character, which was shown in the second half, deeply affected me. The denial of Parker, her refusal to cry, in the first half led me to believe that she felt what she portrayed.

“He still looks at you like he used to, even before you got together, like you’re the most important thing in the world.”

Love and Friendships

I enjoyed reading about the relationships Parker shared with her friends, her father, her relatives and her love interests.  I love the friendship between Parker and Sarah; they show the love between best friends and the real challenges they face. Molly, Parker’s “buddy” at school,  was an interesting addition to the friendship dynamic in the story and also she is an adorable diverse character. The fact that she is biracial and fat, but Parker doesn’t even know this until others point it out to her, which I thought was really interesting. I even liked the relationship between Parker and Faith, her childhood best friend who’s become popular but is still true to herself and friends with her old buddies.

The romance plot got me hooked from the first moment. I think Parker’s view of dating is interesting, because since she can’t see guys, she doesn’t know a guy is physically attractive; she asks herself interesting questions about what she’s attracted to. [Spoiler Alert: Although I would’ve preferred Parker not wanting to be in a relationship with any boy would’ve sent a stronger message.]

Writing Style

I loved the dialogue writing which was powerful and made me truly involved in the book. There were times I was so engrossed that to actually see what was in front of Parker, I wanted to take off the blindfolds.

I definite recommendation to all readers who want to pick up a light book with strong emotions and not a romance as the main plot.

 

Title : Not If I See You First
Author : Eric Lindstrom
Publisher : HarperCollins India
Publication: 2017
Language : English
Pages : 405
Rating : 4/5

Disclaimer: Thanks to HarperCollins India for a copy. All opinions are my own.