Helpful Score: 2
Emily, aka Abby, has a complicated personality, with an equally complicated family life, and more so after her father is blamed for a nuclear reaction accident, that caused the death of 19 people including both her parents.
Without immediate or extended family where they live, Emily is evacuated with the rest of the community without money or possessions. Afraid to reveal her identity among strangers since her father is blamed for the disaster, Emily continually re-invents who she is to remain anonymous.
Emily is 16 and homeless, forced to do just about anything she must to survive. Readers will have to decide if confronted with similar circumstances, whether they would do the same.
Without immediate or extended family where they live, Emily is evacuated with the rest of the community without money or possessions. Afraid to reveal her identity among strangers since her father is blamed for the disaster, Emily continually re-invents who she is to remain anonymous.
Emily is 16 and homeless, forced to do just about anything she must to survive. Readers will have to decide if confronted with similar circumstances, whether they would do the same.
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian is the dark and sad story of Emily Shepard, a teenager, running from the disaster at a nuclear power plant. Emily's character is flawed and her decisions not always likable. The story told through her voice comes through as lost and sad as she is. Emily's character becomes so real through the book that I care deeply about her fate even well after reaching the end of the book.
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2014/08/close-your-eyes-hold-hands-novel.html
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2014/08/close-your-eyes-hold-hands-novel.html
5 out of 5 stars - Superbly written and hauntingly poignant, this novel is destined to become a modern day classic with a character who is authentic, vulnerable, and so honest that it will make a reader's heart ache with the desire to protect her. Shelter her. Save her.
Emily Shepard was 16-years-old the day Reactor Number One exploded on the second to the last day of her junior year of high school at Reddington Academy. She and her parents, who both worked at the nuclear power plant nearby on Cape Abenaki, lived comfortably there in Reddington, Vermont -- also known as the Northeast Kingdom. On the morning of the meltdown, Emily ran away from the temporary evacuation site where all the students had been bussed to wait until parents and guardians would come to retrieve them from a safe zone. What follows is her tale of life basically alone on the streets -- for her mother and father are surely dead. And, what's even worse -- her father is being blamed for the disaster. Afraid to reveal who she really is, and teetering on the edge of emotional breakdown, Emily lives mostly inside her head remembering the poems of her much-loved favorite poet, Emily Dickinson, as a relatable gauge of her emotions. She's always been impulsive and had been in trouble before because of her poor judgment, but now she has to stay alive in a world so different from her previous life "waffling between suicide and survival."
I loved this book and feel that it will be very appealing to all ages, especially young adults, because the heroine is so believable -- not superhuman but real. The story is one that could have come straight from recent headlines (Fukushima) and will linger as a reminder that "radioactivity lasts as long as the soul." The title serves as both a precaution and a leap of faith. I'll be recommending this novel to everyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the e-book ARC to review.
Emily Shepard was 16-years-old the day Reactor Number One exploded on the second to the last day of her junior year of high school at Reddington Academy. She and her parents, who both worked at the nuclear power plant nearby on Cape Abenaki, lived comfortably there in Reddington, Vermont -- also known as the Northeast Kingdom. On the morning of the meltdown, Emily ran away from the temporary evacuation site where all the students had been bussed to wait until parents and guardians would come to retrieve them from a safe zone. What follows is her tale of life basically alone on the streets -- for her mother and father are surely dead. And, what's even worse -- her father is being blamed for the disaster. Afraid to reveal who she really is, and teetering on the edge of emotional breakdown, Emily lives mostly inside her head remembering the poems of her much-loved favorite poet, Emily Dickinson, as a relatable gauge of her emotions. She's always been impulsive and had been in trouble before because of her poor judgment, but now she has to stay alive in a world so different from her previous life "waffling between suicide and survival."
I loved this book and feel that it will be very appealing to all ages, especially young adults, because the heroine is so believable -- not superhuman but real. The story is one that could have come straight from recent headlines (Fukushima) and will linger as a reminder that "radioactivity lasts as long as the soul." The title serves as both a precaution and a leap of faith. I'll be recommending this novel to everyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the e-book ARC to review.
I'm a big Bohjalian fan so I read every book he writes. Just finished The Guest Room and was disappointed in his writing efforts. But I had Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands in my TBR so wanted to give him another chance. I'm glad I did! His writing style exceeded my expectations as he is the consummate storyteller. While I found the story disjointed at first, I got into the pattern and appreciated Bohjalian's masterful style. No need to tell you Emily's story as you can read the summary and even read other reviews on amazon.com. If you struggle reading this book because of timeline flip-flops, please stick with it. It's an engrossing story I hope you will enjoy as much as I did.
I found this book too disturbing. Was unable to sleep after reading 1/3 of it and had to return it to the library with the rest unread. Of course, this may not be a factor for you.
5 out of 5 stars - Superbly written and hauntingly poignant, this novel is destined to become a modern day classic with a character who is authentic, vulnerable, and so honest that it will make a reader's heart ache with the desire to protect her. Shelter her. Save her.
Emily Shepard was 16-years-old the day Reactor Number One exploded on the second to the last day of her junior year of high school at Reddington Academy. She and her parents, who both worked at the nuclear power plant nearby on Cape Abenaki, lived comfortably there in Reddington, Vermont -- also known as the Northeast Kingdom. On the morning of the meltdown, Emily ran away from the temporary evacuation site where all the students had been bussed to wait until parents and guardians would come to retrieve them from a safe zone. What follows is her tale of life basically alone on the streets -- for her mother and father are surely dead. And, what's even worse -- her father is being blamed for the disaster. Afraid to reveal who she really is, and teetering on the edge of emotional breakdown, Emily lives mostly inside her head remembering the poems of her much-loved favorite poet, Emily Dickinson, as a relatable gauge of her emotions. She's always been impulsive and had been in trouble before because of her poor judgment, but now she has to stay alive in a world so different from her previous life "waffling between suicide and survival."
I loved this book and feel that it will be very appealing to all ages, especially young adults, because the heroine is so believable -- not superhuman but real. The story is one that could have come straight from recent headlines (Fukushima) and will linger as a reminder that "radioactivity lasts as long as the soul." The title serves as both a precaution and a leap of faith. I'll be recommending this novel to everyone. I want to own a hardcover copy of this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the e-book ARC to review.
Emily Shepard was 16-years-old the day Reactor Number One exploded on the second to the last day of her junior year of high school at Reddington Academy. She and her parents, who both worked at the nuclear power plant nearby on Cape Abenaki, lived comfortably there in Reddington, Vermont -- also known as the Northeast Kingdom. On the morning of the meltdown, Emily ran away from the temporary evacuation site where all the students had been bussed to wait until parents and guardians would come to retrieve them from a safe zone. What follows is her tale of life basically alone on the streets -- for her mother and father are surely dead. And, what's even worse -- her father is being blamed for the disaster. Afraid to reveal who she really is, and teetering on the edge of emotional breakdown, Emily lives mostly inside her head remembering the poems of her much-loved favorite poet, Emily Dickinson, as a relatable gauge of her emotions. She's always been impulsive and had been in trouble before because of her poor judgment, but now she has to stay alive in a world so different from her previous life "waffling between suicide and survival."
I loved this book and feel that it will be very appealing to all ages, especially young adults, because the heroine is so believable -- not superhuman but real. The story is one that could have come straight from recent headlines (Fukushima) and will linger as a reminder that "radioactivity lasts as long as the soul." The title serves as both a precaution and a leap of faith. I'll be recommending this novel to everyone. I want to own a hardcover copy of this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the e-book ARC to review.
I found this book to be just plain sad. Emily is homeless/familyless after a disaster at the nuclear power plant where both her parents work. Perhaps the saddest part is this story is completely believable. This could happen to anyone at anytime. Bad luck and bad decisions make for a sad, yet interesting story.
This novel by Chris Bohjalian expresses the thoughts and emotions of a teenager whose parents are killed in a nuclear plant meltdown. As I read I found myself wondering how the author could get so inside the heart of a teenage girl. In his acknowlegments he thanked his daughter who was an incredible help with the character so that language and emotions would be true to the age.
The book is sad in so many ways. Her father was an engineer in charge of the plant when excessive rain brought events to a head. Of course, I emphasized with Emily whose life was torn apart by her parents loss and the blame placed on her father for the accident. People even believed that Emily herself and her mother were at fault. No wonder Emily ran away. No wonder she returned to her contaminated home exposing herself to the radiation caused by the accident.
At points I found myself hoping that things would get better and better for Emily. It took a long, long time but she found her dog, Maggie, and was living in the meltdown zone when she was discovered. My only regret is that I would like to have seen the author explore Emily's life afte discovery in more depth.
The book is sad in so many ways. Her father was an engineer in charge of the plant when excessive rain brought events to a head. Of course, I emphasized with Emily whose life was torn apart by her parents loss and the blame placed on her father for the accident. People even believed that Emily herself and her mother were at fault. No wonder Emily ran away. No wonder she returned to her contaminated home exposing herself to the radiation caused by the accident.
At points I found myself hoping that things would get better and better for Emily. It took a long, long time but she found her dog, Maggie, and was living in the meltdown zone when she was discovered. My only regret is that I would like to have seen the author explore Emily's life afte discovery in more depth.
