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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I was expecting this: http://www.kiddofspeed.com
I was disappointed....
266 p.
I was disappointed....
266 p.
I started this book on audio and hated it - the voice was high pitched and annoying. She read it like a bored teenager talking. So, I moved to reading the book and it was just as bad. The tone of the main character was still annoyed and bored - no emotion for such a huge thing happening. Periodically she would say something about missing her parents but so rarely. But the rest of the story read like she was telling the facts of what happened in a bored, emotionless tone.
Almost knocked Midwives out of it's position as my favorite Chris Bohjalian book. But not quite. Excellent short of coming-of-age story with an unusual twist. You can tell that, as usual, Bohjalian extensively researched his subject matter and the characters are well developed. The plot is smooth, without holes. A thoroughly enjoying read.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My review (as published at Read, Run, Ramble):
Thank you Knopf Doubleday via Edelweiss for providing me with an early copy of this book!
Emily Shepard is on the run. She’s lost her family, her dog, her home, and she’s pretty sure letting others know who she really is will only turn them against her.
Told from Emily’s 16-year-old point of view, Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands, is a tragic story of how catastrophe can alter lives in ways we can’t always even imagine. There’s been a nuclear meltdown and all information seem to indicate that Emily’s own parents may have been responsible for the accident.
Bohjalian has a way with words and he captures a youthful voice with accuracy and potency. Emily tells her story through a string of journal entries that will make readers feel even closer to her (and she’s promised to tell the truth no matter how ugly – she keeps to that promise faithfully throughout the book). While this method of telling the story is useful and very engaging, there are times that the entries jump around in time and I did get a little lost in the timeline of events occasionally.
The story is touching and moving as Emily makes her way through her situation making the decisions she thinks are best or the only option at the time, but admits several times in the story that she knows she’s not doing that great – she’s not perfect (now or before the accident).
I enjoyed this novel and I liked the characters, but I never felt as connected to any of it/them as I thought I would. The circumstances, the story, it all lends itself to being deeply connected, but I never got there. I can’t explain it and I can’t pinpoint anything specific; I just never felt as intensely as I wished or thought I would and it has left me feeling quite incapable of writing a review (so sorry if this one is lacking)!
I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I am not compensated for any of my reviews.
Thank you Knopf Doubleday via Edelweiss for providing me with an early copy of this book!
Emily Shepard is on the run. She’s lost her family, her dog, her home, and she’s pretty sure letting others know who she really is will only turn them against her.
Told from Emily’s 16-year-old point of view, Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands, is a tragic story of how catastrophe can alter lives in ways we can’t always even imagine. There’s been a nuclear meltdown and all information seem to indicate that Emily’s own parents may have been responsible for the accident.
Bohjalian has a way with words and he captures a youthful voice with accuracy and potency. Emily tells her story through a string of journal entries that will make readers feel even closer to her (and she’s promised to tell the truth no matter how ugly – she keeps to that promise faithfully throughout the book). While this method of telling the story is useful and very engaging, there are times that the entries jump around in time and I did get a little lost in the timeline of events occasionally.
The story is touching and moving as Emily makes her way through her situation making the decisions she thinks are best or the only option at the time, but admits several times in the story that she knows she’s not doing that great – she’s not perfect (now or before the accident).
I enjoyed this novel and I liked the characters, but I never felt as connected to any of it/them as I thought I would. The circumstances, the story, it all lends itself to being deeply connected, but I never got there. I can’t explain it and I can’t pinpoint anything specific; I just never felt as intensely as I wished or thought I would and it has left me feeling quite incapable of writing a review (so sorry if this one is lacking)!
I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I am not compensated for any of my reviews.
Not crazy about the jumping around. I liked the integration of Emily Dickinson, but didn't feel particularly attached to the main character.
Well, that was depressing…
That was the first thing I thought after I finished Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t give this book the rating I did merely because there was very little happiness in it. Some of my favorite books have horribly tragic endings (The Book Thief, anyone?) but perhaps what sets them apart from this book is what the tragedy accomplishes. Whether it relays a message that resonates with me or channels the ancient Greeks by evoking a sense of catharsis, if a book is going to be a downer I want my initial reaction to finishing to be different from “well thank goodness that’s over”.
This book was very nearly a DNF for me, in fact I started it over a year ago and took a break because I couldn’t get into it. I picked it back up and finished it recently, but never felt totally invested in the story. I did really like some aspects of Chris Bohjalian’s writing. I thought his out-of-sequence narration really added to the suspense, the narrator’s voice sounded really authentic (which can be tricky with a teen MC), and I enjoyed how he interweaved Emily Dickinson through it. I just couldn’t get past how dark and bleak it all was.
If you love really dark fiction then I’d suggest take a look at it. Personally, I like to stick to stories that are a bit more hopeful.
That was the first thing I thought after I finished Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t give this book the rating I did merely because there was very little happiness in it. Some of my favorite books have horribly tragic endings (The Book Thief, anyone?) but perhaps what sets them apart from this book is what the tragedy accomplishes. Whether it relays a message that resonates with me or channels the ancient Greeks by evoking a sense of catharsis, if a book is going to be a downer I want my initial reaction to finishing to be different from “well thank goodness that’s over”.
This book was very nearly a DNF for me, in fact I started it over a year ago and took a break because I couldn’t get into it. I picked it back up and finished it recently, but never felt totally invested in the story. I did really like some aspects of Chris Bohjalian’s writing. I thought his out-of-sequence narration really added to the suspense, the narrator’s voice sounded really authentic (which can be tricky with a teen MC), and I enjoyed how he interweaved Emily Dickinson through it. I just couldn’t get past how dark and bleak it all was.
If you love really dark fiction then I’d suggest take a look at it. Personally, I like to stick to stories that are a bit more hopeful.
I first discovered Chris Bohjalian in 2011 when I read and loved his suspense thriller, The Night Strangers. Since then I have read two of his historical fictions The Sandcastle Girls and The Light in the Ruins. Each story is vastly different, beautiful, captivating and memorable. It seems no matter what story Bohjalian tells it is destined to entwine itself into my memory.
I am not going to lie; when I saw this title on NetGalley, I requested it without even reading the synopsis. It did not matter it was Chris Bohjalian!! When I began reading I was pleasantly surprised and a little shocked to hear the voice of sixteen-year-old Emily Shepard.
The tale begins in Burlington Vermont; Emily is homeless, living in a garbage bag igloo. It has been a year since the power plant her parents worked at had a nuclear meltdown and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont evacuated and quarantined. The press and the people blame the meltdown on her father.
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is beautifully written and told entirely through the voice of our protagonist Emily Shepard. It is raw; at times, her voice bounces from thought to thought. She adores the poet Emily Dickinson and references her. Emily is wise beyond her years and at other times her age rings through. She takes us through the day of the meltdown, and offers flashbacks of life before the disaster. She does not hold back about her life after the accident. Life on the streets and the dark side to her suffering pour forth as she shares her story. It is genuine and at times hard to swallow. We learn about her fears, the friendships she makes and her journey back from this dark place.
Bohjalian is brilliant. Emily’s voice is authentic, and he impressed me with her voice. From her language to feelings, Bohjalian gave her life making her one of the most memorable and fleshed out characters I have ever encountered. Secondary characters were interesting, and influenced my emotions but it was Emily herself that held me captive. Her voice had me lost within the pages of Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands.
Readers will need to acclimate themselves as Emily speaks directly to the reader. Picture if you will sitting across from a young girl. She is fidgety, and from time to time, she stares off as if lost in her own thought. Then her gaze clears, and she refocuses on you. She begins telling you are story; she is animated, and often injects poems, thoughts and ideas. It is all fascinating and at times, it makes you squirm or want to hug her. Instinctively you know she will not like that. The hours tick away, and you become lost in her story. It sometimes seems surreal, but Emily has this raw honesty and somehow you know she has kept nothing back. Occasionally a memory manifests and she takes a break to share that tale with you.
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is adult literary fiction, but the protagonist will introduce Bohjalian to older young adults. He is brilliant, and I am on a personal mission to read all of his novels. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands was gripping, raw and authentic. Emily Shepard is a character who will mark herself in your memory and Bohjalian is an author whose books you will reach for repeatedly.
Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
I am not going to lie; when I saw this title on NetGalley, I requested it without even reading the synopsis. It did not matter it was Chris Bohjalian!! When I began reading I was pleasantly surprised and a little shocked to hear the voice of sixteen-year-old Emily Shepard.
The tale begins in Burlington Vermont; Emily is homeless, living in a garbage bag igloo. It has been a year since the power plant her parents worked at had a nuclear meltdown and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont evacuated and quarantined. The press and the people blame the meltdown on her father.
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is beautifully written and told entirely through the voice of our protagonist Emily Shepard. It is raw; at times, her voice bounces from thought to thought. She adores the poet Emily Dickinson and references her. Emily is wise beyond her years and at other times her age rings through. She takes us through the day of the meltdown, and offers flashbacks of life before the disaster. She does not hold back about her life after the accident. Life on the streets and the dark side to her suffering pour forth as she shares her story. It is genuine and at times hard to swallow. We learn about her fears, the friendships she makes and her journey back from this dark place.
Bohjalian is brilliant. Emily’s voice is authentic, and he impressed me with her voice. From her language to feelings, Bohjalian gave her life making her one of the most memorable and fleshed out characters I have ever encountered. Secondary characters were interesting, and influenced my emotions but it was Emily herself that held me captive. Her voice had me lost within the pages of Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands.
Readers will need to acclimate themselves as Emily speaks directly to the reader. Picture if you will sitting across from a young girl. She is fidgety, and from time to time, she stares off as if lost in her own thought. Then her gaze clears, and she refocuses on you. She begins telling you are story; she is animated, and often injects poems, thoughts and ideas. It is all fascinating and at times, it makes you squirm or want to hug her. Instinctively you know she will not like that. The hours tick away, and you become lost in her story. It sometimes seems surreal, but Emily has this raw honesty and somehow you know she has kept nothing back. Occasionally a memory manifests and she takes a break to share that tale with you.
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is adult literary fiction, but the protagonist will introduce Bohjalian to older young adults. He is brilliant, and I am on a personal mission to read all of his novels. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands was gripping, raw and authentic. Emily Shepard is a character who will mark herself in your memory and Bohjalian is an author whose books you will reach for repeatedly.
Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
A departure from my usual choices, but engrossing. Emily's parents work at a nuclear plant. A meltdown changes everything for North Vermonters, and Emily's attempt to hide herself leads to a long journey of very upsetting incidents. A difficult read, but well written and appealing.