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Close Your Eyes
In 1981 a mother abandoned her child and drove into the night, never to return. Her disappearance was reported in the press as a fatal road accident. Her body was never found.
Thirty years later, Rowan has a child of her own. Afflicted by post-natal depression, she is convinced that she'll hurt her daughter unless she unpicks the mystery of her past, buried deep within a commune in the remote highlands of Scotland. Leaving her young family and life in London, she returns to her childhood home to find a failed utopia shrouded in secrecy. And there, with a looming cult leader, among the rites and rituals, the sacraments and ceremonies, is a single postcard dated a week after her mother's death. As she draws ever closer to the truth about her mother, she fears she might lose even herself.
Close Your Eyes is a powerful novel, exploring the eternal bonds of maternal love. Evoking the spirit of the 60s and 70s in its gentle, lyrical passion, it tells the secret history of a revolutionary social experiment, and, with unflinching honesty, depicts the impacts, both good and bad, that it had on its children.
Thirty years later, Rowan has a child of her own. Afflicted by post-natal depression, she is convinced that she'll hurt her daughter unless she unpicks the mystery of her past, buried deep within a commune in the remote highlands of Scotland. Leaving her young family and life in London, she returns to her childhood home to find a failed utopia shrouded in secrecy. And there, with a looming cult leader, among the rites and rituals, the sacraments and ceremonies, is a single postcard dated a week after her mother's death. As she draws ever closer to the truth about her mother, she fears she might lose even herself.
Close Your Eyes is a powerful novel, exploring the eternal bonds of maternal love. Evoking the spirit of the 60s and 70s in its gentle, lyrical passion, it tells the secret history of a revolutionary social experiment, and, with unflinching honesty, depicts the impacts, both good and bad, that it had on its children.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published August 2, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 13, 2015
Morrison’s novel is memorable for its blend of narrative voices, if not for its characters. The frequent second-person narration, relatively rare in fiction, links it to Nina de la Mer’s Layla, another recent novel (also from a Scottish author) about a young mother with a troubled past, while the sleepless early days of motherhood make for a setting shared with Sarah Moss’s Night Waking.
The theme of fantasy versus reality, introduced by the epigraph’s folk song (“Dreams to sell, fine dreams to sell”), is a strong one. However, as a story of failed utopia, Close Your Eyes does not match up to either Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Blithedale Romance or Lauren Groff’s Arcadia.
(See my full review at Nudge.)
The theme of fantasy versus reality, introduced by the epigraph’s folk song (“Dreams to sell, fine dreams to sell”), is a strong one. However, as a story of failed utopia, Close Your Eyes does not match up to either Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Blithedale Romance or Lauren Groff’s Arcadia.
(See my full review at Nudge.)
September 11, 2013
3.5 stars.
This was my first book by Morrison, and I will definitely be checking out more of his works. Ordinarily, I would not have picked up this book, as the cover did not really appeal to me (shallow, I know), but my friend chose this as her choice for our new two-person book group we have just started, so I went into it not knowing what to expect. The premise sounded intriguing at the very least!
The first thing that struck me about this novel was the narration style. It was different to anything that I had read before. For starters, it was second-person, and although the protagonist Rowan is referring to herself the whole way through, she calls herself 'You'. This was very odd and almost uncomfortable at first, particularly due to the nature of the subject matter. Rowan is a woman suffering from post-natal depression, and we as readers are made very aware of this from the get-go. As a result, it feels as though we as readers are actually embodying Rowan's character, and experiencing her conflicting thoughts and emotions first-hand. This made for a very difficult read, particularly during the first section of the novel, as her mind was a whirlwind, and very troubling at the best of times. The other interesting aspect of the narration was that it was almost a dual narrative, just without the obligatory second person. Instead, the other narrative was told in flashbacks, recounting her childhood in the Ithaca commune with her mother. At times, as the novel progressed, it became more difficult to work out which narrative I was reading, but overall I felt it was very accomplished and used to great effect.
I was very impressed with Morrison's ability as a male writer to embody a female character so well. There were some scenes (in particular a birthing flashback scene) that were difficult to read as they were so brutally and graphically honest, and I could not believe that a man would be able to write something like this. For this reason, I praise Morrison - he is clearly an extremely talented writer, and obviously did his research. The story itself was a very interesting one, a tale of self-discovery as well as a mystery of sorts.
Unfortunately, I found the latter part of the novel a little unsatisfying. I was left with many questions and did not feel completely sated after I had closed over the book for the last time. I also found the subject matter as I have already said troubling, and difficult to read at times, and although Morrison's novel was written very well, and kept me intrigued throughout, I did not always find the reading experience enjoyable. For that reason, I can only give it 3.5 stars. However, I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in reading it, and am looking forward to checking out some more of Ewan Morrison's work.
This was my first book by Morrison, and I will definitely be checking out more of his works. Ordinarily, I would not have picked up this book, as the cover did not really appeal to me (shallow, I know), but my friend chose this as her choice for our new two-person book group we have just started, so I went into it not knowing what to expect. The premise sounded intriguing at the very least!
The first thing that struck me about this novel was the narration style. It was different to anything that I had read before. For starters, it was second-person, and although the protagonist Rowan is referring to herself the whole way through, she calls herself 'You'. This was very odd and almost uncomfortable at first, particularly due to the nature of the subject matter. Rowan is a woman suffering from post-natal depression, and we as readers are made very aware of this from the get-go. As a result, it feels as though we as readers are actually embodying Rowan's character, and experiencing her conflicting thoughts and emotions first-hand. This made for a very difficult read, particularly during the first section of the novel, as her mind was a whirlwind, and very troubling at the best of times. The other interesting aspect of the narration was that it was almost a dual narrative, just without the obligatory second person. Instead, the other narrative was told in flashbacks, recounting her childhood in the Ithaca commune with her mother. At times, as the novel progressed, it became more difficult to work out which narrative I was reading, but overall I felt it was very accomplished and used to great effect.
I was very impressed with Morrison's ability as a male writer to embody a female character so well. There were some scenes (in particular a birthing flashback scene) that were difficult to read as they were so brutally and graphically honest, and I could not believe that a man would be able to write something like this. For this reason, I praise Morrison - he is clearly an extremely talented writer, and obviously did his research. The story itself was a very interesting one, a tale of self-discovery as well as a mystery of sorts.
Unfortunately, I found the latter part of the novel a little unsatisfying. I was left with many questions and did not feel completely sated after I had closed over the book for the last time. I also found the subject matter as I have already said troubling, and difficult to read at times, and although Morrison's novel was written very well, and kept me intrigued throughout, I did not always find the reading experience enjoyable. For that reason, I can only give it 3.5 stars. However, I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in reading it, and am looking forward to checking out some more of Ewan Morrison's work.
January 23, 2013
The nub of this story is that you cannot escape from who you are. And that who you are is decided by what you have inherited - from your parents, from your friends, from the culture that you were brought up in and from the culture that you live in.
This is the story of how Rowan comes to grips with her life, while struggling to bring up her new born child.
Morrison's careful attention to language helps to evoke an atmosphere that is convincing to the last detail. This book is certainly a good read, and it will make you pause for thought.
This is the story of how Rowan comes to grips with her life, while struggling to bring up her new born child.
Morrison's careful attention to language helps to evoke an atmosphere that is convincing to the last detail. This book is certainly a good read, and it will make you pause for thought.
November 7, 2012
Not as good as The Mall but that would be difficult.
Morrison has written a strong , entertaining novel about parents and children, about the way that one influences and hurts the other not in a physical way but in an emotional sense.
Why it got 3 stars is it has something disapointing behind it , im not sure if thats because i expected more or because there was something disapointing. The text is occasionally slow and almost stuck and the two narratives that trail each other throughout the book feel indistinguishable but that might be deliberate.
I would say that this book should be better known, it is relevant and well written (with the odd pass for the flow of the novel), i can imagine some people i known wouldnt enjoy it because the decisions made by the characters would be alien to some people and i know some people who would find that upsetting, but it is worth reading. Its not The Mall and you should be aware why The Mall is brilliant but it is interesting and well written.
September 22, 2016
Close Your Eyes by Ewan Morrison
Rowan hasn’t taken to motherhood the way she’d hoped. Overwhelmed by her baby daughter’s demands, she fears she’ll hurt her. The only way she can recover her confidence as a woman and a mother is to journey back into her own childhood in the failed utopia of a remote Scottish commune and the mystery of her own mother’s disappearance.
Motherhood and mental health is everyone’s business, so hats off to Ewan Morrison for this compassionate exploration of Rowan’s inner world. Close Your Eyes is also a cleverly constructed exercise in point of view. The first person plural and second person narratives can sometimes seem tricksy in fiction, but here they are deployed perfectly to highlight the loss of the individual self both in the “we” of the commune and the “you” of Rowan’s fragile identity. A suspenseful and moving story of the hurdles and challenges along the road to personhood.
Rowan hasn’t taken to motherhood the way she’d hoped. Overwhelmed by her baby daughter’s demands, she fears she’ll hurt her. The only way she can recover her confidence as a woman and a mother is to journey back into her own childhood in the failed utopia of a remote Scottish commune and the mystery of her own mother’s disappearance.
Motherhood and mental health is everyone’s business, so hats off to Ewan Morrison for this compassionate exploration of Rowan’s inner world. Close Your Eyes is also a cleverly constructed exercise in point of view. The first person plural and second person narratives can sometimes seem tricksy in fiction, but here they are deployed perfectly to highlight the loss of the individual self both in the “we” of the commune and the “you” of Rowan’s fragile identity. A suspenseful and moving story of the hurdles and challenges along the road to personhood.
January 6, 2014
This was a really good and well written book if a little depressing. An interesting look at how being brought up by hippies in a commune has damaged someone. Interesting that it takes becoming a mother herself to make the central character face up to how badly her childhood experiences and losing her own mother at 11 have really affected her.
I was impressed that this was written by a man as the female characters are very convincing. I think the scottish commune in the book is based on Findhorn which is operating today as a spiritual community and international centre for holistic learning. I've read a few novels now which have a childhood in a commune theme but never read one where this was seen as a positive thing. I wonder if there are any!
I was impressed that this was written by a man as the female characters are very convincing. I think the scottish commune in the book is based on Findhorn which is operating today as a spiritual community and international centre for holistic learning. I've read a few novels now which have a childhood in a commune theme but never read one where this was seen as a positive thing. I wonder if there are any!
January 15, 2014
Bit disappointed with this after reading a lot of good reviews. Emma/Rowan is the main character, daughter of a disappeared mother, who started her life as a child in a faltering hippy commune in Caithness. Their ideals soon soured, and now a mother herself she struggles with her past and her psychological traumas.
I think I came to the book with too many of my own prejudices against these needy, wealthy, middle class, self-help commune dwellers to have a great deal of sympathy with any of the characters.
Also a shame we are lead to hope facing her ghosts can snap her out of her well drawn post-natal depression and isolation at the start of the book so quickly.
I think I came to the book with too many of my own prejudices against these needy, wealthy, middle class, self-help commune dwellers to have a great deal of sympathy with any of the characters.
Also a shame we are lead to hope facing her ghosts can snap her out of her well drawn post-natal depression and isolation at the start of the book so quickly.
October 20, 2012
This book was ok, but nothing extraordinary. At times, my interest waned as it seemed to drone on a bit. However, it also made me realise how special a bond that exists between mother and child. I was also quite surprised that the author knew so much about bringing up a baby. He really made me believe that he was speaking through a woman's voice.
All in all, this was an ok read.
All in all, this was an ok read.
November 12, 2012
A terrific novel! i kept getting an eerie feeling that I was reading a forgotten Doris Lessing novel, yet this was written by a man. The themes of politics and personal experience are handled with a light touch but with a sharp intelligence and insight.The structure also is quite ingenious, it takes a real talent to carry it off so beautifully.
June 29, 2014
Gripping read portraying actions, decisions, affects and consequences of a childhood living in a remote and fragile community removed from everyday society. It's the first book I've read by Ewan Morrison and it had me hooked so I will be looking out for his other works. Great contemporary fiction from Scotland.
September 1, 2015
Beautifully written and absolutely compelling.
April 29, 2017
So glad to have discovered Ewan Morrison's Close Your Eyes: cleverly narrated and structured, the reader is, early on, jolted out of the usual expectations/confines of 'story':
'This is just a story, a comfort, a lie. There are other versions, memorised, re-ordered then abandoned. The details change over time. The endings. They always begin with the same words: she drove.'
Apart from the technical achievement and his success in writing from a woman's point of view, the story is heartbreaking. I found myself reading the last 15 pages in one breath, punched by the unfolding. I had tears. When that happens with fiction, the writer has done a fine job.
'This is just a story, a comfort, a lie. There are other versions, memorised, re-ordered then abandoned. The details change over time. The endings. They always begin with the same words: she drove.'
Apart from the technical achievement and his success in writing from a woman's point of view, the story is heartbreaking. I found myself reading the last 15 pages in one breath, punched by the unfolding. I had tears. When that happens with fiction, the writer has done a fine job.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews