Never Close Your Eyes

by Emma Burstall

Evie, Nic, and Becca are wannabe writers. The three friends are members of a creative writing group and they decide to enter a national competition. But while they ponder their plots and agonize about their characters, their own lives are going far from smoothly. Evie's still pining for the husband who left her for a younger woman and is relying increasingly on clairvoyant Zelda. But who is Zelda really? Nic's battling a drink problem and is in despair about her workaholic husband who is addicted to his laptop. A shocking discovery shakes her to the core, but will she realize in time that she must stop protecting him? Becca's a City highflyer who seems to have everything—until a childhood friend turns up, threatening to expose the secret she's kept buried for nearly 30 years. How will her marriage, her children, and her friendships survive it? And on top of that, there's a deadline. The women have just eleven months to complete their manuscripts. Who will win the competition—and can there be any real-life happy endings?

456 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2009

About the author

Emma is the author of nine novels including her bestselling Cornish series, Tremarnock. These books in order are - Starting Over In Cornwall, Christmas At The Cornish Guest House, A Summer in Cornwall, A Cornish Secret and The Girl Who Came Home To Cornwall.
Her latest book, The House On Rockaway Beach, came out in September 2022 and she's currently working on the next one.
Emma read English at Cambridge University and began her career as a cub reporter on the Western Morning News in Plymouth, later becoming features editor of Woman and Family Circle.
She loves films and the theatre, yoga, pilates, wild swimming, hiking and spending time with family and friends.
She lives in South West London and has three children and two grandchildren.

Reviews

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evie, Nic and Becca are three friends who have joined a writing group and all three of them are in with a chance of winning the national competition their group entered into. Trouble is, all three girls are hiding secrets and tragedies. Thirty years ago, one of the girls did something so horrific she had to change her name and entire identity to have any chance of living a normal life; there’s also denied alcoholism among the group as well as a husband with a very wrong secret fetish. Finally there’s a marriage break-up that threatens to ruin one of the women. Can the three women’s friendships stay in tact through all of the troubles?

I absolutely loved Emma Burstall’s debut novel, Gym and Slimline, and looked forward to reading her new book Never Close Your Eyes. Having written such a fantastic debut, I did wonder if Emma could manage it again with her follow-up book. Not only was Never Close Your Eyes a fantastic read, it was also better than Gym and Slimline which was no slouch.

I thought the storyline was excellent and before learning exactly which woman it was who had commited such a terrible crime I was guessing all the while. We do actually learn early on which of the three friends it is, but I’d hate to spoil it by saying which it actually is. We actually read of the crime right at the beginning of the book and I had my eyes wide in shock at how brutal it came across. Yet, Emma writes it so well I could also feel sympathy for Dawn and I could see what drove her to do such a dispicable act. Not only that but I was astounded to find that the character who committed the crime was a fantastic and likeable character. Huge kudos there to Emma for managing that.

That, for me, is the main storyline as it comes back into play in a huge way when a man named Gary threatens to expose Dawn’s new life. However there’s also other minor plot-lines weaving their way throughout the book making it, really, into one huge web of a storyline. As much as I liked Nic, I knew from the very beginning she was an alcoholic, we just needed Nic herself to acknowledge the fact and do something about it. For a while I wondered if she ever would and I willed her to get a hold of herself and realise she was seriously harming her son, Dominic. Evie’s storyline of her marriage break-up was more of a minor thing. I think for Evie her main storyline was that of her daughter Freya’s who was instant messaging a guy named Cal. Trouble is, Cal lied to Freya and misled her to believe he was a teenager when actually he’s a middle-aged man. Again, I guessed who Cal really was but, for me, that wasn’t the point of the matter. The point was the suspense building as Cal and Freya plotted their ways to be together. It was the climax to the two’s relationship that was the real story here. I thought Emma Burstall handled it immensely and really got into the mind of a troubled 13-year-old desperate for love. I could see why Freya loved Cal despite the fact he was miles older than her. It wasn’t that she loved him, it was that he showed her love. There were also a few more storylines running parallel with all the others the main one including Zelda and Carol, two sisters who seemingly at first have nothing to do with the three friends bar Carol being part of the same writing group and Zelda being a psychic, but there’s actually another reason those two are prominent to the book.

Now, reading all of that you would expect Emma Burstall was trying too hard with so many different threads to follow and so many characters to keep an eye on, but Emma manages it well and I found it easy linking all of the stories and characters together. There’s actually a large list at the beginning of the book telling us who everyone is and I panicked, thinking I’d forget who everyone was after 50 pages but actually it was totally the opposite. I had no trouble whatsoever remembering all of the characters and how they related to the book.

I’d have to say that while all the characters were prominent to the book I thought it was ultimately the three friends who were the ‘main’ characters – not to mention Dawn who is integral to the whole book, of course. The girls’ friendship didn’t seem at all fake and came across incredibly well despite all of the secrets they hid from each other. I liked Evie as a whole but thought her relationship with Steve was incredibly annoying, as I just couldn’t take to him. I also thought she was a bit harsh on Bill, her neighbour, calling him arrogant when I thought it came across that he was just trying to help. Despite everything Nic was going through I thought she was thoroughly enjoyable. Yes, she’s in denial about a lot of things but the fact is, she comes through in the end and that was the best part about her for me. Surprisingly I found that Becca was my favourite of the three friends. I know she moaned a lot about her husband Tom but deep down I knew she truly loved him. I felt that of the three I could relate to Becca most. She really was a nice character and I enjoyed the parts that included her. I actually really liked Dawn. What she did was awful but I could see why she did. I don’t condone it but I understood, if that makes sense. I thought she was a brilliant character, incredibly complex, and her transformation was outstanding.

The only sticking point for me was the ending. Don’t get me wrong, it was a sufficient ending, but it also left a few questions particularly regarding Becca’s relationship with her husband Tom. It seemed like an ending that should have read “to be continued” and would definitely pave the way for a sequel should Emma Burstall feel that way inclined.

Apart from that minor question mark I thought the whole book was perfect. Emma Burstall is an outstanding writer who doesn’t flinch away from unsettling subjects. She dealt with everything fantastically and in a very real way. Similar to Marian Keyes who also takes difficult subjects and manages to make them readable. I really found Never Close Your Eyes difficult to put down and I raced through the book in a bid to finish it and find out if everything would work out. A true contender for book of the year as far as I’m concerned. Truly outstanding.

[Penny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's be honest and give it 1 and a half stars. There were parts I liked but there were parts that were definitely not OK. I'm a writer. Ok, so not had a novel published at the point of this review (I haven't even tried sending a manuscript to an editor yet), but I did do some training in the novel writing and editing world. Two words: Conflict Resolution. This novel needs it, it needs closure. There's nothing satisfying at the end of this novel. I don't expect everything to be roses, I am a realist. I do, however expect threads tidied up, or, if not, then deliberately twisted up. Loose, unsatisfying ends here. I had no idea I was on the last page until I turned it over and there was the Acknowledgements page. Evie doesn't accept her birth mother Carol nor give her the time of day and we have no given reason. Carol may have a successful novel but she doesn't have the love and acceptance of her daughter, nor, her 'psychic' sister. After everything she has been through, Becca's husband decides he can't handle it and is leaving. Surely THIS should have happened earlier? The woman's just found out that her mother is also DEAD. And last straw - the nasty vindictive 'psychic' sister of Carol doesn't get her comeuppance. She moves on to Evie's friend Becca to ruin HER already ruined life. Neat. Unless this book is all about Zelda the 'psychic', which it isn't, then a very unsatisfying book with a worse ending. Where was the editing? Did someone never pick this stuff up and say 'hey, don't you think we should conclude this book better?' A book that could have been so much better than it ended up being. Bad, bad editing.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, generally I have to say that it was better than I expected. There is a variety of viewpoints and I was quite sure at the beginning that having that change all the time woud be super confusing. However, the author manages to stay away from that by closely connecting all the narratives. I have to admit though that having to read Carol's and Zelda's story too was bit over the top for me.
Altogether it was a nice story that showed the not at all perfect lives of three friends who visit a creative writing group every month. The characters were approachable and very realistic. Nonetheless, I found that there were a few too many issues the main characters had to deal with. Becca and her past, Nic and alcohol, Alan being a pedophile, Freya being bullied and falling into Alan's trap, Evie being betrayed by her husband, double-played by her lover and finding out who her birth mother is. It was just too much for one book in my opinion.
A further point I have to note is the ending. It is completely unsatisfying, which is quite sad because if it had been better I would have given this four stars.
Altogether an enjoyable book that is also gripping and never gets boring.

[Elva Cartwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never close your eyes

This was a good read. It was sometimes difficult to follow in the beginning as it flitted between the main characters in the story. The ending was a surprise, but it made you think a lot about life and how things turned out in different ways. Always read everything this author writes, she never disappoints.

[Emespre · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for the most part, but it was very predictable. From very early on, the general direction of the main characters' storylines and how they would play out were obvious. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting story that keeps you reading.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, very engaging and captive. Disappointed with the ending though, I would have like to know how Evie and Carol's relationship panned out.

[Marissa Christenson Lang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much going on and a very abrupt and unsatisfying ending, first chapter was a strange and kind of unnecessary hook, but it could have been a really good book.

[Pat Osment · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good read,quite humorous at times but also had a darker side where secrets were bound to be revealed and relationships were challenged.

[Asma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three women friends met in a writing group. Each one of them has her drama and problems.

>>Evie was adopted as a baby, never knew her birth mother, got divorced and drowned in her romantic dramas that she missed the troubled mess that her 13 years old daughter is living in.

>>Nic an alcoholic who didn't admit that, so obsessed of the image she has of herself and her family that she ignored/missed that her husband was a pedophile who fantasize little girls.

>>And Becca, the successful woman who had a secret past that she ignored and worked so hard to wipe and forget, until the secret popped to her life and made her appreciate the life and the family she has.


Not a very great story, but I enjoyed some parts of it, though it was all about some bull drama!!
It's a story about messed up lives and hearts, and how they found their way in the end. It's a realistic novel, and that's one thing I truly liked. When I reached the end, I turned the page waiting to continue reading but I found no more pages :P. And I liked that!!

[Haylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

find it a real page turner but to full on at times.

[Helensvale Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

A writing club brings a group of women together. Each one has problems but only one is a killer.