Sight is a vital sense we can tend to take for granted. This novel explores what it's like to be born blind and have an opportunity to see for the first time. How a world you've only known through speech, smell, touch and sound is now presented to you in a language you can't yet understand.

Once Jillian Savinova - Nova to her friends - agrees to undergo the groundbreaking surgery to restore her sight, she is suddenly plunged into feeling far more blind than before. As a trained linguistic interpreter for the Metropolitan Police, she has to relearn the rules of navigating her life.

These rules of seeing, recorded as learning lessons experienced by Nova, are beautifully insightful, perceptive and often humorous. They reveal detailed research on the part of the author. I found them eye opening, moving and tender. They are the best part of the narrative for me and eminently quotable.

Kate, the other major character, is an architect in an abusive marriage. But she is too blind to see it as such at first. Kate's emotional sight fails her in many ways, especially in her relationship with Tony, a bent cop with a violent streak. It's also hard for her to see her burgeoning friendship with Nova as a new love interest she can embrace.

After several twists and turns, their relationship becomes cemented, while Kate's marriage collapses under the weight of Tony's abuse. Will Nova and Kate accept their new way of "seeing" life or will old, familiar habits draw them back to the lives they are used to? With the possibility of losing their new insights and so much more besides.

I totally warmed to Nova as a character and her plight was well documented. Kate didn't strike me in quite the same way. Her reactions and behaviour seemed to be irrational at times. Although it's a well written, tense and fascinating read, a rather disjointed and slow midsection of the book made it less delightful than I had hoped. A creditable debut, nevertheless.

This book touches on so many different areas, but it remains fascinating and touching the whole way through.

I’ve not read many books with a blind protagonist, but Joe Heap’s debut will definitely change the way you think about seeing. It follows two women: Kate, who is trapped in an abusive relationship, and Nova, a smart detective who undergoes an experimental procedure that means she can see- for the first time ever. What does that mean for the way in which we understand the world? I’d never thought about it, but I’m really glad Joe Heap thought of discussing it.

The Rules of Seeing is always tender, always thoughtful and brings up points you never knew needed talking about. Watching Kate and Nova’s stories and problems intersect and eventually intertwine is fascinating and also weirdly satisfying, and seeing them start to help each other grow. Strangely, it’s very slow paced, but this doesn’t ever make it less interesting, or the characters less engaging. I fully recommend this- and if your friends aren’t pushing it on you by Christmas, I’ll be very surprised.

I took this because i am trying to expand the type of books that i read. This was quite upsetting because it was so deeply emotional. The relationship between Nova and Alex is profound and the one between Nova and Kate is lifechanging in so many ways that neither of them expected.

A real gritty book that will make you smile and make you cry in equal measure.

I had an interesting conversation with someone at the weekend who has a rare condition whereby he cannot visualise. When he shuts his eyes, he can'r bring up a picture of a tree or a colour, or anything, his mind is black.

Thinking back over reading this book I can 'see' that life is difficult for him, and imagine if you had this condition, AND, were blind from birth?

I learnt so many things from this story. And found it very difficult to write a review. I learnt about sight and what it must be like to lose your sight after birth and to be blind from birth. [Macular Degeneration must be really hard.] And yet, is it harder to learn to see after being blind? There are so many complexities of sight and vision.

This book also has a love story. A love of two people coming together at a difficult time for both of them, of how they survive together and their experiences.

This is a book that engages the reader on many levels - the critical mind that thinks about sight and vision and dimensions; the literary mind that reads and understands and celebrates the writing style; and the emotional mind that taps into the characters and their emotions and experiences as expressed by the author.

I really recommend this story and author.

This book was a real tearjerker for me and possibly hit a little close to home as I suffered a brain heamorrhage this year and found that the story hit very close to home (although mine wasn't caused by domestic violence thankfully.)

I liked the questions that this book raised hugely, and I loved that there was a strong gay main character who was at home with her sexuality. It reflected well a lot of the problems I've faced this year and even if I found it a hard read for personal reasons I thought it a good book.

The Rules of Seeing was a very intriguing and interesting story. When I first read the blurb, I wanted to read it as it was unlike any other book I'd read before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story was great and I would definitely recommend it to people to read. Great!

I thought the plot of this story sounded a really interesting read and something a little different. However I found this a bit slow at times and quite drawn out. I did enjoy certain aspects and some parts were quote moving. All in all I found it boring and some of it not to be plausible

This was a really well-written exploration of blindness and seeing, often from the perspective of a character who once was blind and is learning to see. That aspect was so well-wrought by Joe Heap that it was occasionally hard to believe that he is a sighted author who has never been blind himself.

The plotline was a little lacking, however, and the antagonist occasionally seemed cartoonish in his somewhat motiveless evil - I liked the depiction of an abusive spouse, however I didn't believe that a character like that would be aware of this trait and exploit it to that extent.

I have read news stories about people being surgically given the ‘gift’ of sight after many, if not all, their years spent in darkness. But I have never really appreciated the complexity of gradually and progressively learning what is indeed a new language, the language of sight, and the need to become ‘fluent in seeing’. Nova’s newly acquired sight is a thing of mystery so she devises Rules of Seeing, for example Rule 147 “Like a baby, you will have no idea an object persists in time. This seems stupid. Of course you know that a butterfly does not disappear just because you are not looking at it, but that does not mean you’re not surprised when it reappears in front of you”. Or Rule 385 “Sitting in the front of a car is like diving deeper and deeper into a painting, watching as the trees and buildings grow and disappear, only for more to spring up on the horizon…”
It did not surprise me, upon finishing the book, to learn that Joe Heap is a published poet, such is the quality of the language and the depth of empathy with Nova’s gradual acquisition of this perplexing skill. Her growing relationship with Kate is so beautifully evoked too but, while I don’t want to give too much away, the introduction of the final elements spoilt the overall story for me personally. Still a highly recommended read which gave me much to ponder and appreciate.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. Nova has been blind since birth but has an operation to give her sight and she has to learn how to see. Kate is trapped in an unhappy marriage and the two meet in the neurology ward and this chance encounter changes both of their lives. I found the novel unpredictable, well written and very sweet. Would definitely recommend.

This is a beautifully written story of love, friendship and overcoming unusual difficulties. Nova is blind and an interpreter for the Metropolitan Police. The book gives an insight into the limitations caused by blindness from birth. After surgery, Nova is forced to adjust to a strange, new vibrant world of colour and action she'd never seen before. It's a poignant story which is thought-provoking. It resounded well the difficulties involved with such a ground-breaking transition. It's so sensitively written. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins.

A very unusual, thought provoking story, I really enjoyed this. It is refreshingly different, and provided a very illuminating glimpse into the world of a person who has been blind from birth. Nova’s first faltering steps into the world of the sighted, which most of us take for granted, was very eloquently described. Nova’s ‘rules of seeing’ were a very clever and insightful way to describe her difficulties in not just adjusting to her new sense, but learning how to use it in the newly revealed and frightening world. It certainly made me think about my own sightedness , and how devastating it would be to have to function without it.
The story of Kate, and her injury, and her deteriorating relationship with her husband Tony, was so cleverly and subtly described. The faltering first steps of friendship that grew between Nova and Kate was beautifully described, with all it's highs and lows, joys and tensions. It also had very tense moments when I was holding my breath regarding the ultimate fates of the two main character.
I would definitely recommend this book, and I thank Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a free copy. I will read more of this author’s work without hesitation.

What a very illuminating read. When Nova is given the opportunity of regaining her sight she hesitates, since, having been almost blind from birth, she has made a very workable life for herself as an interpreter for the police. Having decided to take the leap with this groundbreaking procedure the author goes on to describe in fascinating detail the difficulties that Nova experiences in learning to see for the first time. She meets Kate, who is married to Tony whilst in hospital and initially a somewhat tenuous friendship develops between them. Kate, an architect, has her own issues to deal with which are slowly revealed. Over time, while their separate lives are explored, their friendship blossoms. I found it a fascinating read. and would recommend it highly for it keeps you guessing the outcome of the characters all through the book. My mother has gradually lost her sight over time and we have had the conversation about what it might be like to live in world when you are born blind and how to make sense of it. Well done to Joe Heap on her sensitive insight into the subject matter.

Nova, blind from birth is given the opportunity to see. The rules of seeing is a compilation of rules that she creates in order to make sense of her new world. Whilst in rehabilitation, Nova meets Kate, who is living with a controlling husband and the two forge an unlikely friendship. The rules of seeing is beautifully written, and will change the way you see the world.

"But she always suspected that the right person wasn't out there. It wasn't that she was lacking the right person, but that she was categorically the wrong person."

The first thing that struck me about this debut is that the narrative is impeccably detailed; it is the kind of immersive intricacies that beckon readers in to the world that the author has made, along side it's characters. It was easy to fall into The Rules of Seeing and not come up for air.

The story is told between Nova and Kate's perspectives. Nova is a blind interpreter for the Metropolitan police, who endures an operation that allows her to learn to see again. Kate is an architect and the model wife of Tony, but beyond the 'perfect couple' charade is a manipulative, abusive tale which Kate has fallen victim to. When Kate ends up in hospital, she meets Nova, and their friendship and feelings bloom.

Throughout the entirety of the novel, Nova allows us an insight as to what somebody regaining their sight experiences and views. She does this by giving us 'rules of seeing', which was a charming - even uplifting - method of bringing the readers into the light from the dark - (no pun intended) - making her experiences easy to understand yet retaining the complexity of human sight. I have bought with me to this review a few of my favourite rules:
♡RULE OF SEEING NO. 142
When seeing a balloon disappearing up into the sky, it is easy to feel that the balloon is stationary, and it is you who are falling. Try not to panic.
♡RULE OF SEEING NO. 174
If you go outside and everything is murky grey, do not worry. You are not developing cataracts. Fog changes the colour of everything.
♡RULE OF SEEING NO. 189
When you go walking, remember that your vision will bob up and down like a boat on the ocean. This is normal.

Aren't they delectable? They embody Nova completely. Not only were we treated to an insanely insightful perspective, but Joe Heap was knowledgeable in all kinds of areas. It was the sort of diverse, general knowledge that I can't pinpoint and explain to other readers, rather than expertise on a specific subject. But, it was so nice to read about jobs and experiences that were researched sufficiently and purely for the readers' enjoyment.

Also, I find that sometimes I can tell when characters are rushed, but I am pleased to say that not even the side characters are hasty in their creation in this novel. Each had their own, uniquely formed personalities, and their own views that gave the story depth. Nova and Kate together were sweet and funny, I was rooting for them from the moment they met.

So far, I've given quite a glowing review for The Rules of Seeing, so you must be wondering, why only 4/5 stars, then? I'll tell you.

The plot for me, was dragged on a bit. It could have and maybe should have ended a little early on. I felt that the author was trying to draw out as much tension as possible from me, but I was already on the edge of my seat for the first half of the novel. This meant that my excitement had waned slightly just as it truly began to peak.

Also, what exactly happened to the white piece of paper that started the chain of events in the story, anyway? The ending wasn't as resolved as I would have liked it to be. For me, there are still loose ends that are burning their way through my brain. I can't say I'm entirely satisfied by the conclusion - or lack of - in the ending chapter.

Saying that, the book as a whole is still undeniably enjoyable and encourages all sorts of emotions from the reader. I was invested in the relationship of Nova and Kate from the start, and was entertained reading their journey from start to finish.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was very interested in the subject covered in this book as I have family members who are partially sighted. The description of how blind people deal with their condition was portrayed very well. A very original book and well written. I enjoyed it very much.

I absolutely loved this exciting and unusual book. Nova was born blind and now she can see but this seems to complicate her life rather than simplifying it.

This one was simultaneously right inside and completely outside my comfort zone. It's beautifully written with fantastic characters. It really made me stop and think about how I see the world and how much I take things like my sight and all the beautiful and mundane things I get to see every day for granted. I can still not imagine what an overload to the senses it must be, having being blind and suddenly seeing the world for the very first time. Having to relearn everything you thought you knew about the world. Add in a friendship that becomes so deep and the trauma of domestic violence and this little thriller becomes an incredible page turner. It's a bit harrowing in places, but it wouldn't work if it wasn't. It's completely not what I expected and that's why I love it all the more.

A heart wrenching story. Nova can now see after being blind, but it is very traumatic for her. Kate is in an abusive relationship, when there paths cross they become friends. They see each other through thick and thin. Happy ending.

This was a lovely book to read ,beautifully written with characters you could get to know. The rules of seeing are simple really- we see what we want and block out what we don't want to see-or are they?
Nova ,blind from birth,is offered the chance of a life changing operation to enable her to see visually.She chances across Kate,blind to her own bad marriage,in the hospital.An unlikely friendship is struck and their lives become intertwined and eventually changed for ever.By turns the story is desperately sad,funny ,uplifting with a dark thread woven through it. It is also a profoundly moving love story with some edge of the seat moments about two women learning to see again. It will make you re-evaluate how you see things