Close your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian

I've only read one previous book by Chris Bohjalian, The Sandcastle Girls. That was about a 9.5/10 for me and I started to collect his books as I love his writing style. Sometimes the next book by an author is not what you expected but this one delivers and I now have a favourite author whose books I plan to savour, slowly. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is a relatively short read at just under 300 pages but there is so much in here. It's been a while since I've read one that makes me stay up late to squeeze in a few more pages.

It's about a teenage girl named Emily whose father may be responsible for a meltdown in the nuclear plant where he works. Suddenly orphaned (her mother also worked at the plant) and afraid the world would hate her because of her parents, she becomes a street kid and invents a new identity for herself. She frequently references her favourite poet Emily Dickinson so fans of her poetry will like the regular references. As expected, she has a frightening existence on the street and toss in a minor child she starts to care for, some dangerous people and an undisclosed mental illness to contend with, Emily manages to survive her self-imposed exile. Almost everything that happens in this book is poignant and relevant and the most memorable part for me was the revelation of the source of the book title. Enjoy the mastery of Mr. Bohjalian and the life of Emily.

 9/10 for this reader.

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Helene