Review - Face Blind by J.L. Merrow

Corin survived the car accident that killed his lover, but it left him with some brain damage that made him “face blind.” He's unable to recognize people he has known for years, even his own brother. To escape the pressure of all the people who don't understand or over-compensate, Corin moves to Glastonbury. Shortly after moving in, Corin is exploring the famous tor outside of town when he has a chance encounter with Adam. Adam grew up in Glastonbury, but only recently moved back from London to try and reconnect with his estranged mother, although she died before he got the chance.

“Face Blind” is an engrossing contemporary romance set in a quirky English town. The blurb suggests there is more of a paranormal aspect to the storyline than there actually is. The possibility that Corin or Adam may have seen ghosts provides much of the dramatic driver for the plot, but "real" ghosts don't really play a part in the story. If you're expecting a ghost story, you'll be disappointed.

Corin is an interesting character. It's hard to imagine what it would be like to have his condition (which is a known effect of some types of traumatic brain injury). Whether you like the one you have or not, our faces are a big part of our identity. The inability to recognize friends and family, or enemies, sounds very debilitating. The description of how this affects Corin and how he copes with it, or doesn't, feels very realistic.

Adam is another well-drawn character. He seems to cultivate something of a bad-boy image but is really a nice guy, even a bit spiritual. While Corin's issues are the result of a single traumatic event, Adam has had his own struggles with his family. The full extent of those issues only becomes clear near the very end.

The way the two men's relationship develops seems very natural, including a few bumps along the way as they get to know each other. There are a couple of secondary characters that provide a bit of color as well as help move the story along. They're quite well fleshed out and interesting in their own right.

“Face Blind” is available from Smashwords or Amazon (commissionable link).