Reviews of Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

PROLOGUE

My alarm buzzes and I slap it off and tap the speech button at the same time. Stephen Hawking says, "Five-fifty-five am." Just double-checking, like always.

I crank open the window and stick out my hand. Cool, misty, but not too humid. Probably overcast. I pull on clothes—sports bra, sleeveless shirt, shorts, track shoes— without bothering to check anything, since all my running clothes are black.

Except my scarves. I finger through them, checking the plastic tags, gauging my mood. I feel strangely unsettled, so I pick one that might help: the yellow cotton with embroidered happy faces. I tie it around my head like a blindfold, settling a smile on each of my closed eyelids.

The rising sun is warm on my cheeks; the sky must be clear, at least at the horizon. I lock the front door and slip the cold key into my sock. Where the path turns to sidewalk, I turn right and start to jog.

The three blocks to the field are programmed into my feet, my legs, my ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. As the novel is told from the perspective of a blind narrator, the characters are not introduced with the usual physical descriptions that authors often rely upon. What are some unconventional descriptors that Eric Lindstrom uses?
2. How do people intentionally and unintentionally break Parker's Rules? How does Parker's reliance on her Rules change over the course of the novel??
3. Rule #11 is: "Don't be weird." Why is this Rule important to Parker, and why might it be a challenging one for the people in Parker's life?
4. Parker claims that she "tells it like it is" and practices tough love, but sometimes her opinions come across as abrasive or mean. How do you differentiate between being honest and being kind?
5. What factors ...