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barbarianlibarian's review against another edition
1.0
not a fan. the plot is lacking, not much ever happens. the story is written as if the main character, a teenager girl is writing it, but I don't think that was doing very well either. ending was disappointing. there's just nothing that makes this stand out in a good way.
denakg's review against another edition
3.0
One of my favorite authors but I didn't love this one. Good story but the writing was disjointed.
marcies_8's review against another edition
3.0
I think I need to quit reading novels on my iPad. I find I don't absorb as much and read in shorter, choppier spurts. Maybe that's why I just wasn't as engaged in this book compared to the others by Bohjalian. It was definitely darker and without any element of real relationships which is something I enjoyed about most of his other books.
labtracks's review against another edition
3.0
Vulnerable teen left floundering. When the unthinkable becomes the norm. When desperation leads to lies, trespassing, stealing, etc.
I didn't like her character much and she's the lead so left me somewhat indifferent on outcome. But a good story none-the-less.
I didn't like her character much and she's the lead so left me somewhat indifferent on outcome. But a good story none-the-less.
mo_mccormack's review against another edition
2.0
2.5⭐️
I struggled to give this book a star rating. It’s so outside what I normally read and. There’s so much I loved and disliked about it all at once.
Overall I feel like I struggled connecting emotionally with Emily and her feelings. I was waiting for a hard blow that never came.
I struggled to give this book a star rating. It’s so outside what I normally read and. There’s so much I loved and disliked about it all at once.
Overall I feel like I struggled connecting emotionally with Emily and her feelings. I was waiting for a hard blow that never came.
momlovesbooks17's review against another edition
2.0
I listened to this audio CD in the car. I almost gave up on it several times because this is not a feel good story and it was too much of a downer at times. It is about a teenage girl whose parent died during a reactor meltdown at the nuclear plant where they worked. The girl ends up living on the street and so much of what she goes through was excruciating and made my skin crawl. The story had some good points and I am glad I finished it.
jennifermreads's review against another edition
3.0
This was a brutal look at homelessness and disasters that can drastically alter lives forever. You will shiver from the first page: from the cold – which you will feel along with Emily and Cameron – and from the thought of how close you yourself could be from being in Emily’s shoes if disaster hit your own life.
Why three stars instead of more? Only because I have read other of Chris Bohjalian’s novels and there are several that resonated with me much more. I do not anticipate this book haunting me like The Sandcastle Girls nor did this book intrigue me like The Light in the Ruins nor was I ever surprised and shocked like I was in The Double Bind. It also took me many more pages than usual to hear Bohjalian’s characters rather than the author’s voice or plain words. In the other books I mentioned, I remember being instantly absorbed into the characters’ voices and stories.
Yet Closer Your Eyes, Hold Hands is terrifying. Think of how close we all lie to our lives being significantly changed by a disaster. It is not something we think about; it is decidedly uncomfortable. But, when I read the pages of this story that explained the title’s origins (page 238 – the title is the words said by a teacher or police officer to the young children in December 2012 as they were lead out of the school in Newtown, Connecticut following the massacre), it was a startling realization that “this could be me” or “this could be my niece/nephew.” Nuclear disaster is mentally “far away” for me – yet the possibility is geographically close in Northern California. But disasters of all kinds lay around every corner. So Emily’s life? That could be our life.
As a side note, two years ago, my husband and I toured Vermont and fell instantly in love with the beautiful state. We ended that trip with a few days in the Northern Kingdom. So reading this book was like reliving parts of that trip: each city and landmark that was mentioned brought back wonderful memories. And then utter horror when I thought how quickly beauty, wherever it is, can be eliminated.
Thought provoking? Yes. A setting that drew me in? YES! Chris Bohjalian’s best work? No – but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be read, thought about, and absorbed.
Why three stars instead of more? Only because I have read other of Chris Bohjalian’s novels and there are several that resonated with me much more. I do not anticipate this book haunting me like The Sandcastle Girls nor did this book intrigue me like The Light in the Ruins nor was I ever surprised and shocked like I was in The Double Bind. It also took me many more pages than usual to hear Bohjalian’s characters rather than the author’s voice or plain words. In the other books I mentioned, I remember being instantly absorbed into the characters’ voices and stories.
Yet Closer Your Eyes, Hold Hands is terrifying. Think of how close we all lie to our lives being significantly changed by a disaster. It is not something we think about; it is decidedly uncomfortable. But, when I read the pages of this story that explained the title’s origins (page 238 – the title is the words said by a teacher or police officer to the young children in December 2012 as they were lead out of the school in Newtown, Connecticut following the massacre), it was a startling realization that “this could be me” or “this could be my niece/nephew.” Nuclear disaster is mentally “far away” for me – yet the possibility is geographically close in Northern California. But disasters of all kinds lay around every corner. So Emily’s life? That could be our life.
As a side note, two years ago, my husband and I toured Vermont and fell instantly in love with the beautiful state. We ended that trip with a few days in the Northern Kingdom. So reading this book was like reliving parts of that trip: each city and landmark that was mentioned brought back wonderful memories. And then utter horror when I thought how quickly beauty, wherever it is, can be eliminated.
Thought provoking? Yes. A setting that drew me in? YES! Chris Bohjalian’s best work? No – but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be read, thought about, and absorbed.
brooke_review's review against another edition
4.0
The frank voice of the narrator is what pulled me into this one. That, and the idea of a nuclear power plant exploding in the United States hit a little too close to home. Talk about raising some scary ideas. I guess I never really thought about how our lives would be changed if we had a nuclear disaster here ... perhaps because we have this perception of "safety" - Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands made me think, and I like a novel that makes me think.