Amazon UK
Title: While My Eyes Were Closed
Author: Linda Gren
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Purchased
Publisher: Quercus
Publication Date: 28th January 2016
Rating: 4 Stars
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| Amazon UK |
One, two, three . . . Lisa Dale shuts her eyes and counts to one hundred during a game of hide-and-seek. When she opens them, her four-year-old daughter Ella is gone. Disappeared without a trace. The police, the media and Lisa's family all think they know who snatched Ella. But what if the person who took her isn't a stranger? What if they are convinced they are doing the right thing? And what if Lisa's little girl is in danger of disappearing forever?
This book features what must be every single parent's worst nightmare - turning on back just for a moment and your child has disappeared. For Lisa Dale that is exactly what happens and the book focuses on how she and her family cope in the aftermath of four year old Ella not being found during a game of Hide and Seek.
What we get as readers though is also chapters from the person who has taken Ella, which as the story proceeds becomes slightly disturbing. They have in their own mind valid reasons for having walked out of a park with someone else's child, and not owning up to the police when they realise how far its gone.
Due to being able to see what was going on from all sides, meant I found the book easy to follow, but apart from one "oh that's how it fits together" moments, nothing seemed to surprise, and it didn't really get under my skin the way psychological drama books tend to normally.
I did though find it a fabulous look at the emotions on both sides of this, and also seeing how Ella was adapting to the situation. It is clear there is a lot of family love in this book, although at times perhaps the characters were too loving.
If I had children, the odds are I would have been far more affected by the story. As it is I was interested in what was going on, I hoped that the child would be ok, but I didn't feel the compulsion to keep reading the whole time, which is what I want from books of this genre.
Still this was the author's first book writing in a slightly dark genre and its a very good book, and I having already read After I've Gone, I know its a groove she is just starting to form, and I am looking forward to seeing more from the author, as I used to love her women's fiction books too.
Thank you to everyone that voted for this book this week, it was a tie and I picked this purely because I am familiar with the author, so knew there was a greater chance of enjoying it. I'm looking forward to seeing what this week will bring.
What we get as readers though is also chapters from the person who has taken Ella, which as the story proceeds becomes slightly disturbing. They have in their own mind valid reasons for having walked out of a park with someone else's child, and not owning up to the police when they realise how far its gone.
Due to being able to see what was going on from all sides, meant I found the book easy to follow, but apart from one "oh that's how it fits together" moments, nothing seemed to surprise, and it didn't really get under my skin the way psychological drama books tend to normally.
I did though find it a fabulous look at the emotions on both sides of this, and also seeing how Ella was adapting to the situation. It is clear there is a lot of family love in this book, although at times perhaps the characters were too loving.
If I had children, the odds are I would have been far more affected by the story. As it is I was interested in what was going on, I hoped that the child would be ok, but I didn't feel the compulsion to keep reading the whole time, which is what I want from books of this genre.
Still this was the author's first book writing in a slightly dark genre and its a very good book, and I having already read After I've Gone, I know its a groove she is just starting to form, and I am looking forward to seeing more from the author, as I used to love her women's fiction books too.
Thank you to everyone that voted for this book this week, it was a tie and I picked this purely because I am familiar with the author, so knew there was a greater chance of enjoying it. I'm looking forward to seeing what this week will bring.
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