The Rules of Seeing

Winner of the Debut Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2019

When you make eye contact, when you hold someone's gaze, it’s the closest thing to knowing you're not alone in the world.

‘This year’s Eleanor Oliphant’ Claire Allan

‘Astonishing’ Ruth Hogan

‘Strikingly brilliant’ Sun

After 32 years of living her life in the dark, Jillian Safinova – Nova to everyone, except her mother – is learning to see.

She can see that the sky is blue. And green. And grey. And a whole spectrum of colours, as changeable as her mood.

She can see that clouds are surprisingly solid.

And she can see that Kate, a woman she’s only just met, is going to change her life forever.

Everyone is talking about The Rules of Seeing:

‘A tender, tense drama about love and the unexpected places you can find it’ Sunday Express

‘A quirky love story which promises to make you see the world in a completely new way’ Daily Mail

‘Joe Heap’s fascinating debut makes you think about the things most of us take for granted’Good Housekeeping

‘An inspiring story of love, loss and friendship’ #1 bestselling author Catherine Alliott

‘It really made me re-evaluate how I see the world…outstanding’Katy Regan, author of Big Little Man

‘A book that reveals the world in a different light and changes the way you see it…Extraordinary’ Sunday Times bestseller Miranda Dickinson

‘Startlingly, outstandingly good’ Benjamin Ludwig, author of Ginny Moon


Genre: Romance

"This year’s Eleanor Oliphant." - Claire Allan

"An inspiring story of love, loss and friendship." - Catherine Alliott

"A book that reveals the world in a different light and changes the way you see it…Extraordinary." - Miranda Dickinson

"Truly original…it kept me guessing until the nail-biting end. A stunning and memorable page-turner." - Sarah J Harris

"An astonishing debut." - Ruth Hogan

"Is it a love-story? Is it a thriller? It’s both. With tender love scenes that made me catch my breath and a menacing story thread that had me holding it, I loved it, loved it, loved it." - Fionnuala Kearney

"Startlingly, outstandingly good." - Benjamin Ludwig

"It really made me re-evaluate how I see the world…outstanding." - Katy Regan