Hi,
Today is the publication day of Nicole C. Kear‘s memoir Now I See You. I’ll introduce you to it down in my review. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an e-galley!
Synopsis quoted from St. Martin’s Press¹:
At nineteen years old, Nicole C. Kear’s biggest concern is choosing a major–until she walks into a doctor’s office in midtown Manhattan and gets a life-changing diagnosis. She is going blind, courtesy of an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, and has only a decade or so before Lights Out. Instead of making preparations as the doctor suggests, Kear decides to carpe diem and make the most of the vision she has left. She joins circus school, tears through boyfriends, travels the world, and through all these hi-jinks, she keeps her vision loss a secret.
When Kear becomes a mother, just a few years shy of her vision’s expiration date, she amends her carpe diem strategy, giving up recklessness in order to relish every moment with her kids. Her secret, though, is harder to surrender – and as her vision deteriorates, harder to keep hidden. As her world grows blurred, one thing becomes clear: no matter how hard she fights, she won’t win the battle against blindness. But if she comes clean with her secret, and comes to terms with the loss, she can still win her happy ending.
My Thoughts:
Where I live, you don’t often meet blind or visually impaired people walking the streets with the aid of a stick, but when I do happen to cross paths with them, I’m often at a loss because I don’t know how to react. Should I just pass them in a normal way? Should I stand back, so it’s easier for them? Or would acting normal make it easier? Can they hear me? What would it be like if I were this blind person? I guess I’m not the only one asking themselves these questions.
When I encountered Nicole C. Kear’s Now I See You, I thought, “You have to read this book”! How often do you get an opportunity to read a memoir by someone who loses their sight? What’s more, Nicole C. Kear is an avid reader. Just think about that for a minute. You are gradually losing your sight and you love to read. That’s a hefty blow.
Now I See You is a memoir that is as engaging and easy to read as a novel. It tells Kear’s story from the moment she learned that she would lose her eyesight up until the moment she learned to live without it. The author shares everyday situations as well as very personal and intimate moments like the birth of her children. Her first child’s birth is told especially vivid and with a good portion of humor. The latter is what I liked very much about this book – it shows that Nicole C. Kear might have lost most of her eyesight but not her sense of humor.
No matter if you feel insecure around the visually impaired or not, I can only recommend that you read this insightful memoir. Now I See You opened my eyes.
All That Magic 