Behind Her Eyes author Sarah Pinborough opens up about *that* shock ending and how it's ok if people 'hate' it

Behind Her Eyes author Sarah Pinborough may have achieved great success already when her book was published back in 2017, but the hit Netflix adaptation of her sinister story has certainly hooked a new audience. The chilling thriller tells the tale of Louise, who finds herself dangerously drawn into the lives of couple David and Adele. The Netflix series brilliantly captured the unnerving undertone of the Behind Her Eyes book. Many will now be tempted to pick up their best eReader and immerse themselves in the novel. Whilst those who have already made it through to the final episode might be looking for that confusing ending to be explained. 

The show covered the full Behind Your Eyes plot from the novel, though that won’t stop some people from keeping their fingers crossed for a Behind Her Eyes season 2. After all, we need to know what happens next!

Love it or hate it, it’s that ending that has got everyone talking. And when it comes to the twist, it seems that writer Sarah is more than happy for not everyone to be as keen on it.

What has Behind Her Eyes author Sarah Pinborough said about the ending?

Behind Her Eyes author Sarah Pinborough has reportedly referred to her novel as a "Marmite book" - you either love it or you hate it. And now she has spoken out in an interview with The Guardian about that somewhat controversial ending after the show aired. 

“I don’t mind people who hate the book,” she stated. “I’d rather they hate it than be indifferent. What I don’t like is when people say, ‘She didn’t know how to end this book, she tacked on this ending.’ I’m like, ‘Go back and read it again, do your homework!’”

Once you know the truth of the twist, you won’t be able to help yourself going back through the show episodes and book chapters to see the clues you might have missed. 

Discussing the writing process for the bestselling book, Sarah revealed she tried infusing the plot with “flavour” and then the twist came to her. However, she also noted that whilst the idea for the twist was there, writing it wasn’t as easy as she’d imagined.

“I wanted it to hit all the beats of a regular thriller. The clues had to be there,” she said. “At first I thought it was going to be really easy to write, but it was quite hard. Everything had to have dual meaning, so that no one could say this character lied. I would have hated that.”

If you haven't already read Behind Her Eyes, then what's stopping you?