The Sight of You

Starred review from April 13, 2020
Miller debuts with a stunning and gracefully written tearjerker about destiny, dreams, and selfless love. Joel Morgan has always had ultraspecific, prophetic dreams about future moments in the lives of people he loves. Though these visions are as likely to be good or neutral as they are to be bad, the bad visions have been negative enough to make him wary of making new connections and inviting more tragedy into his dreams. But the natural rapport Joel has with Callie Cooper, his favorite barista turned upstairs neighbor, slides naturally into a romantic relationship as they spend more time together. Soon, they fall in love, but Joel’s worst fear comes true when he dreams of Callie’s death. The two must navigate life with this knowledge, weighing the desire to do everything possible to prevent the tragedy with the desire to live each moment they have left to its fullest. Miller paints big emotions with nuance and subtlety, exploring complex family dynamics, grief, and anxiety with expert skill that lends realism to her tale, despite its supernatural conceit. This beautifully rendered work is both heartbreaking and life-affirming. Readers should be prepared to cry.