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Close Your Eyes

by Amanda Eyre Ward (Goodreads Author)

3.4 of 5 stars 3.40 · rating details · 1,440 ratings · 246 reviews

In Close Your Eyes, the author of the bestselling How to Be Lost spins another mesmerizing tale of buried family secrets.

For most of her life, Lauren Mahdian has been certain of two things: that her mother is dead, and that her father is a murderer.

Before the horrific tragedy, Lauren led a sheltered life in a wealthy corner of America, in a town outside Manhattan on the ba...more

Hardcover, 272 pages

Published July 26th 2011 by Random House (first published March 3rd 2011)

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Kirkus Best Books of 2011

43rd out of 88 books — 147 voters

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Aug 17, 2011 Jennifer (Crazy-for-Books.com) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, general-fiction, read-in-2011, received-for-review, received-in-2011, virtual-book-tour

Lauren Mahdian and her brother, Alex have grown up haunted by the murder of their mother. Their father was convicted of the crime and has spent over 20 years in prison. Lauren is convinced of his guilt; Alex of his innocence. Lauren allows this truth to run her life, most significantly her relationship with her long-time boyfriend, Gerry. She's refused his numerous marriage proposals, seeing first-hand what "love" can do. When Alex surprises Lauren with the news that he is headed to Baghdad, Ira...more Lauren Mahdian and her brother, Alex have grown up haunted by the murder of their mother. Their father was convicted of the crime and has spent over 20 years in prison. Lauren is convinced of his guilt; Alex of his innocence. Lauren allows this truth to run her life, most significantly her relationship with her long-time boyfriend, Gerry. She's refused his numerous marriage proposals, seeing first-hand what "love" can do. When Alex surprises Lauren with the news that he is headed to Baghdad, Iraq with Doctors Without Borders, Lauren is crushed. Alex is her only family and her center. He tries to convince her of their father's innocence before he departs, but she wants none of it. She prefers to numb her pain with alcohol and Tylenol PM.

When Lauren receives devastating news, she subsequently uncovers some files regarding her mother's death. Ready to learn and truth once and for all, she embarks on a journey to uncover her family secrets, whatever they may be.

This is a multiple viewpoint novel. It is divided into separate "books" with Lauren, Sylvia, and Mae narrating. Who are Sylvia and Mae, you ask? They mysteriously appear in book two. I wasn't quite sure what was going on when Sylvia's narration started. Her story seemed entirely separate and disconnected from Lauren's. I was intrigued by her story, though, and I couldn't wait to see how it connected to Lauren's (because obviously it did in some way!). Sylvia tells us that she is pregnant and is secretly leaving her abusive boyfriend. She is heading to New York City in hopes of staying with an old friend, Victoria or Victoria's mother, Mae. Through flashbacks we glimpse the friendship between Sylvia and Victoria and how it has shaped the women they are in the present.

Ward has written a page-turner that will keep you glued to the text wondering what will happen next; how these two seemingly separate stories are connected. This is a mysterious story with lots of twists and turns and raw characters who leap off the page.

My only negative thought about this book is that I would have loved a bit more closure at the end of the novel. I kind of felt like Sylvia was left hanging and I wanted more of her story. I did think the last lines of the novel were beautiful and brought a tear to my eye.

Post taken from my blog.(less)

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May 22, 2013 Christa Sgobba rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was okay. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad, it was kind of just...there.

I have to give it a plus, though, for being a very easy read. I didn't have to try to get into it, and it didn't really drag. But on the other hand, I didn't really find myself enjoying what was going on in there.

I'm not quite sure the book knew exactly what it wanted to be. Was it a mystery? A character-driven novel? It tried to be a lot of things, but the mystery wasn't gripping enough, nor did the characters seem t...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Shonna Froebel rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a novel with a mystery at its heart, but also a novel of loss and of family. We follow two women. One is Lauren, who mother was killed when she was a small girl. Lauren's father was arrested and convicted of the crime, and Lauren and her brother Alex went to live with their maternal grandparents. But Lauren has never really dealt with her loss, and Alex has spent years trying to find evidence to clear his father. Now Alex is leaving to go to Afghanistan as part of a Doctors without Borde...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Lyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Laura Mahdian’s dad murdered her mother when she was eight years old. She firmly believes he is her mother's killer. He’s is now spending life in jail with no parole. Lauren’s only close family is her brother, Alex, a medical student. He’s never stopped believing in their dad’s innocence.

Alex has been Laura’s protector since that horrible day their mother’s body was found. When Alex chooses to go Iraq with Doctors Without Borders, Laura begins having panic attacks. Alone she begins to face the...more

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May 24, 2012 Gretchen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This novel is about a middle-aged woman, Lauren, who lives in Austin, TX with her boyfriend Gerry. Her beloved brother, Alex, tells her he is leaving to go to Iraq with Doctors without Borders, and that awakens all sorts of fears and worries in her. Alex has been her rock every since their mother was killed when she was 8 and he was 10. Their father was incarcerated for this crime, and has been in jail ever since. Lauren is convinced of his guilt and she does not want to revisit the past, but he...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Jessica rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Lauren is a woman with Issues. She's earned them, no doubt, but still. Her father was convicted of murdering her mother when Lauren was six, leaving Lauren and her older brother Alex to be raised by their grandparents. As an adult, Lauren has all but blocked out memories of these events, though she has never doubted her father's guilt until Alex declares his own doubts shortly before leaving for a Doctors Without Borders assignment to Iraq. Around this time, Lauren begins experiencing panic atta...more Lauren is a woman with Issues. She's earned them, no doubt, but still. Her father was convicted of murdering her mother when Lauren was six, leaving Lauren and her older brother Alex to be raised by their grandparents. As an adult, Lauren has all but blocked out memories of these events, though she has never doubted her father's guilt until Alex declares his own doubts shortly before leaving for a Doctors Without Borders assignment to Iraq. Around this time, Lauren begins experiencing panic attacks, terrified that Alex won't come home to her and haunted by the confusing re-emergence of new and cluttered memories of the circumstances surrounding her mother's death. When Alex goes missing, Lauren decides she needs to continue with his investigation into what really happened and begins to uncover family secrets she never imagined.

The writing is almost offensively bad. There isn't much exposition to shed light on Lauren as a character, and the exposition given is clumsy and forced -- most of it is revealed by Lauren telling it to either Alex or a therapist. I was also bothered by the incongruous nature of the narrative voice. Lauren tells her story from a first-person perspective, and she does so with quite a bit of clarity. At the same time, I was being told that she is a woman suffering from debilitating panic attacks. It really bothered me that I didn't see her emotional instability genuinely coming through in her voice. As someone who has suffered severe, sometimes crippling panic attacks, what I was reading felt inauthentic -- as though the author had simply skimmed the WebMD entry for panic attacks and regurgitated the information with little thought to how it would genuinely shape the character. The scenes with Lauren's therapist were terribly pedestrian, as someone who has both sat through therapy sessions to deal with anxiety and has studied how to conduct such sessions with others. I know that everyone's experience is different, but this seriously felt like it was written by someone who has never known anyone who has so much as spoken to a therapist. And, for the most part, the sessions didn't shed any light on Lauren's psyche at all. They mostly served the purpose of being able to say, "Look: this character has Issues. She has to see a therapist for them."

In the middle of Lauren's story we are introduced to a new set of characters, including Sylvia and Victoria. The second I met them, I knew where this story was headed and I wanted to give up the entire thing. This book could have told a poignant story, but it ultimately felt like a phoned-in effort that had been rushed through with no attempts to make it feel authentic. (less)

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Oct 25, 2011 Michele rated it 1 of 5 stars

I thought the story was fairly predictable, the writing was inelegant, and sometimes just wrong. At one point the author made up a word when there was another form of the word that was exactly the concept she was seeking. I wish I had made a note of it at the time, but it bothered me quite a bit. She wrote about places and characters (and the dog) without having introduced them, so I was left wondering if I had missed something. In addition, the narrator of the first part, Lauren, struggles with...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of the greatest pleasures in my life is reading a book where I don't know what's going to happen, or how the story is going to end. Close Your Eyes is such a book. The two intertwined stories are those of a real estate agent in her early 30's who is trying to cope with her memories of her father murdering her mother when she was a child; and a pregnant 41-year-old who is running from her present and, it would seem, her past. Usually, I read a story like this and try to guess at the significa...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book I have read by this author. Overall it was fine - a very quick read. There were parts that captivated me and I enjoyed, especially the brother/sister relationship and Alex's story. I also liked how the author made Gerry an understanding, empathatic boyfriend....very refreshing!!!

I was shocked to start reading "Book 2" where it picks up with new characters, but that twist did leave me wanting to know how the characters related. I enjoyed the different facets of this storyli...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lauren and her brother Alex lived on the beach in a wealthy town on Long Island. The two children were very close. One night they begged to be allowed to spend the night in the tree house that their dad had built for them. When they awoke the next morning their lives were turned upside down never to be the same from that point on. Their mother had been murdered and their father was arrested, found guilty, and put into jail.

When they were grown Alex had become a doctor and Lauren was a real esta...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Close Your Eyes by Amanda Eyre Ward

If you love complex characters, vivid imagery, and dark, haunting secrets, Close Your Eyes will not disappoint. The book is Austin, Texas-based author Amanda Eyre Ward’s fifth. I’ve been a fan since her first novel, Sleep Toward Heaven, was released in 2003.

On her website, Ward shares that the idea behind Close Your Eyes began to form in 1989 after terror struck near her sleepy, idyllic hometown: a husband and wife had been stabbed to death in their own bedroom...more Close Your Eyes by Amanda Eyre Ward

If you love complex characters, vivid imagery, and dark, haunting secrets, Close Your Eyes will not disappoint. The book is Austin, Texas-based author Amanda Eyre Ward’s fifth. I’ve been a fan since her first novel, Sleep Toward Heaven, was released in 2003.

On her website, Ward shares that the idea behind Close Your Eyes began to form in 1989 after terror struck near her sleepy, idyllic hometown: a husband and wife had been stabbed to death in their own bedroom one New Year’s Eve. The crime went unsolved for nearly five years until a local teenage boy confessed to the killings. During his trial, he cited no concrete memories of the incident, blaming his actions on an alcoholic stupor.

In the author’s own words, “I thought about the murder from time to time, trying to understand how a stranger had broken the spell of Rye, smashed through the safety we had all thought money could buy … I wanted not only to understand what happened … but also to create a world where this wrong was righted, and a broken town was sewn back together.”

Close Your Eyes begins with a neighborhood celebration ruined by senseless tragedy. Six-year old Lauren and eight-year old Alex Mahdian wake up to discover their mother has been murdered; the brother and sister soon find out their father is the prime suspect.

When the children’s father is convicted of the murder, Lauren and Alex move in with their grandparents. Years later, Alex goes to Harvard and becomes a physician, while Lauren pursues a career as a real estate agent. When Alex volunteers for a Doctors without Borders assignment in Iraq, Lauren’s tenuous coping mechanisms splinter apart. While attempting to ignore her incarcerated father’s existence, she avoids commitment to her long-time boyfriend, and spirals into greater depths of anxiety, anger, and grief over her family’s tragedy.

Ward introduces two new characters, Sylvia and Victoria, in Part 2. Though it isn’t apparent at first, the girls are linked to Lauren and Alex’s lives in unimaginable ways. With deft expertise, Ward weaves the four lives together throughout the rest of the story, sewing together bits of connection with every chapter of this complicated, heart wrenching novel of loss and redemption.

For more on Amanda Eyre Ward, visit her website: www.amandaward.com.

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Random House (July 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345494482
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Aug 17, 2011 Denise rated it 3 of 5 stars

Close Your Eyes is the story of Lauren and Alex Mahdian, two young children, asleep in their backyard tree house the night their mother is murdered. Their father is convicted of the murder and Alex becomes all that Lauren has left, her security and roots and family. Lauren seems to be living at the edges of life, squeaking by with a job as a realtor and with a loveable, but goofy and out-of-work boyfriend. One day Alex, shockingly, tells Lauren that he believes their father is innocent, and then...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

This is the third book I've read by Amanda Eyre Ward and I was again pleased by another engaging and interesting storyline. Now, it's been ages since I read the other two by her so I don't remember much about them, but there is a simplicity to her stories that I really enjoy. They typically pick up very quickly, and the characters are easy to relate to.

Six-year-old Lauren Mahdian and eight-year-old Alex Mahdian were spending the night in their treehouse the night their mother was murdered. Their...more This is the third book I've read by Amanda Eyre Ward and I was again pleased by another engaging and interesting storyline. Now, it's been ages since I read the other two by her so I don't remember much about them, but there is a simplicity to her stories that I really enjoy. They typically pick up very quickly, and the characters are easy to relate to.

Six-year-old Lauren Mahdian and eight-year-old Alex Mahdian were spending the night in their treehouse the night their mother was murdered. Their father was arrested for her murder and incarcerated, while Lauren and Alex went to live with their grandmother. Now Lauren and Alex are adults and, while the two of them are close, they differ in how they've coped with their mother's death and father's arrest. Alex has aggressively pursued his own investigation to prove his father's innocence and has chosen a lifestyle that worries Lauren. Lauren, on the other hand, afraid to commit to anyone or anything, lives a life of numbness knowing her father murdered her mother. We are then introduced to a second similar but seemingly unrelated storyline regarding a pregnant woman, Sylvia, who escapes a bad marriage and tries to find solace in her childhood, wild child friend, Victoria. The two stories merge fairly predictably, and Lauren and Alex learn the truth about some family secrets and more about their mother's murder.

The "surprises" in the storyline were mild, but the plot, in general, was engaging. I initially felt a little disappointment in the character building because their dialogue seemed nongenuine and superficial. It improved quickly after that, however, and I did feel the characters come more to life, though they were never fully fleshed out. That being said, one of the things I've enjoyed about Ward's books is her succintness. She doesn't waste any time on unrelated aspects of the story. I can depend on the fact that her books will be thoughtful, yet somewhat short, reads.

Unrelated to the writing itself, I liked that the main characters were "ethnic" (half-Iraqi I think). It's not one of those things I notice lacking, necessarily, but I liked seeing it and find that I relate to more ethnic characters. And this wasn't anything that was central to or necessary for the story.

Some readers will probably say that Close Your Eyes wraps up too well in the end, but sometimes it's nice not to have to wonder too much. This was a nicely told story about how a traumatic incident can affect children in the future and about unearthing family secrets.

Taken from my blog at www.takemeawayreading.com (less)

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Aug 08, 2011 Alison rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had the pleasure of taking a master class with Amanda Eyre Ward, and so read her novels with the pleasure of some insight into the way in which she crafts them and a deep respect for the challenges that underlie giving birth to a novel. I found Close Your Eyes a solid read with moments of piercing insight, truth, and pain, and a compelling story that kept me turning pages long after I should have turned the light out and gone to bed. Without giving anything away, I agree with some of the other...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Stephanie Reiner rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

the story of Lauren and Alex Mahdian, two young children, asleep in their backyard tree house the night their mother is murdered. Their father is convicted of the murder and Alex becomes all that Lauren has left, her security and roots and family. Lauren seems to be living at the edges of life, squeaking by with a job as a realtor and with a loveable, but goofy and out-of-work boyfriend. One day Alex, shockingly, tells Lauren that he believes their father is innocent, and then departs for a Doct...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Eileen Granfors rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: highly-unusual, men, grief, families, women

Amanda Eyre Ward delights me. Her "Sleep Towards Heaven" is one of my favorite books. This new title, "Close Your Eyes," is equally emotionally addictive.

Lauren and Alex lose their parents before they are teens in a most unexpected way: their mother is murdered while they sleep in their tree house. The only person suspected is their father.

Their father is Egyptian. This alone brings a certain amount of prejudice into their lives. When he is convicted of the murder, they move in with their worn-o...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Amanda Eyre Ward is one of my favorite authors and one of the very, very few for whom I’ll read any book they write. I didn’t love this as much as some of her others but it is still beautifully written, intriguing, and, as always, the multi-narrative structure is executed perfectly. Although I have to say it bugged me that the kids’ ages on the jacket cover are different than what is actually in the story. Not the author’s fault of course! But when you're talking kids 10 and 8 is a lot different...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars

There were many things I really liked about this book. I felt that Lauren was a fully-formed and fascinating character, and although it initially took me aback, I really liked how the author took the time to create one world and then completely shifted to another and let the reader slowly discover how the two were connected. The mystery was intriguing, and I found myself just flying through the book in anticipation of what was to come next. And there were parts of the ending that were lovely, re...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 out of 5 stars - "If you don't let yourself feel sadness, you don't feel any other emotions, either; hunger, happiness, love.",

I enjoyed this quick read that I won in a giveaway contest from the publisher. It is a family drama that centers on a daughter's struggle to find happiness in the wake of her mother's murder. When she was a child, Lauren's father was arrested and convicted of the crime and Lauren had always agonized because her memories of their family were of love and happiness. Do...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Linda Bouley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: family-relationships, love-story, personal-journey

I liked the book because of the mysterious underpinnings and the family aspects. Lauren and Alex live in a splendid home on Long Island with parents they love. Their father comes from a wealthy family in the middle east and is a poet - Mom brings home the bread. One morning after the couple had a party and the kids had slept in the tree house their Dad had built for them, they discover their mother had been murdered and their father is accused - eventually he is convicted and imprisoned for life...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Andrea rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club

Ugh. I did not like this at all.

It was so short, it could almost qualify as a short story. While I have no problems with short stories, I do have a problem when I pay for something that is considered a novel, and is not. But, I am not even considering this in my review. That was just a bit of an annoyance.

The writing was juvenile. The conversations were very unnatural. If the author would have read these aloud, she probably would have noticed.

The scenes with the therapist were terribly unrealist...more

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May 09, 2013 Erika rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reading-challenge, fiction

SPOILER ALERT
Interesting book about a family tragedy that involves a dark, well kept secret. I enjoyed the story, but could never quite connect with Lauren, the main character in the first part of the book. I guess I go more for plucky, self-sufficient heroines, and that she is definitely not. I got a little tired of her panic attacks and all that taking refuge in a bottle. Her deep seated insecurities and fears of abandonment, while certainly understandable, didn't exactly make sense to me with...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Lizzie Hayes rated it 5 of 5 stars

‘Close Your Eyes’ by Amanda Eyre Ward
Published by Harper Press, 7 March 2011. ISBN: 978-0-00-723387-8

The world of eight-year-old Lauren Mahdan falls apart when her mother is murdered and Lauren’s father is arrested for the killing. Whilst her brother Alex believes in their father’s innocence, Lauren cuts off from her father completely.

Lauren grows into troubled adulthood, unable to commit to her loving boyfriend Gerry, her only security her brother Alex - then Alex goes away. In another part of...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Christy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I received it to vote for a favorite fiction of the year and was initially skeptical. It didn't sound overly interesting, but after reading the great reviews on Amazon, I had to give it a go. WOW was I glad I read this. It is a fantastic read!! One, in fact that gets you very involved with the characters and leaves with you (the reader) wanting more. I was sad to see this book end.

It follows the story of a young girl who awakes one mor...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Roxanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a very quick read and was just an "ok" book for me.

In the midst of Lauren's story, the author changes to a new set of characters (Victoria and Sylvia) and I was not happy. If the author wanted to run the dual storyline which does come together at the end, I would have appreciated shorter chapters. Just my personal choice.

The big "secret" is a believable scenario, but the Amanda Eyre Ward failed to really engage me in the authenticity of it all.

I was very irritated with the therapy sessi...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

This book took me a little while to get into, but I found myself really caring about the characters and being moved by their story. The book is split into several 'books'/parts, the first focussing on the main character, Lauren, and her family. The second part focuses on Sylvia, who at first seems unrelated to Lauren's story, but it gradually becomes clear how the two are linked. The remaining parts alternate between Lauren and Sylvia, with the stories gradually coming together. I don't want to...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Diane rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books-read

Back in 1986, when Lauren was only six and her brother Alex was eight, their mother was murdered as the children slept outdoors in their tree house. Their father was arrested and subsequently convicted of the murder. The children were sent to live with their grandparents, but for the most part grew up in boarding schools.

Twenty-plus years later Lauren and Alex are grown, Alex is a doctor, and is in Iraq working with Doctors Without Boarders. Lauren is in real estate and lives with her boyfriend...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

When Lauren Mahdian was six years old and her brother Alex eight, their father was arrested and sent to prison for murdering their mother. The story picks up 24 years later. Lauren is struggling with commitment to a relationship. Alex is finishing med school and trying to find evidence to prove that their father is not guilty. He leaves his notes with Lauren when he joins Doctors without Borders and goes to Iraq, where he soon disappears.

The book alternates between the points of view of Lauren...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Mmtimes4 rated it 3 of 5 stars

In Close Your Eyes, the author of the bestselling How to Be Lost spins another mesmerizing tale of buried family secrets.

For most of her life, Lauren Mahdian has been certain of two things: that her mother is dead, and that her father is a murderer.

Before the horrific tragedy, Lauren led a sheltered life in a wealthy corner of America, in a town outside Manhattan on the ba...moreIn Close Your Eyes, the author of the bestselling How to Be Lost spins another mesmerizing tale of buried family secre...more In Close Your Eyes, the author of the bestselling How to Be Lost spins another mesmerizing tale of buried family secrets.

For most of her life, Lauren Mahdian has been certain of two things: that her mother is dead, and that her father is a murderer.

Before the horrific tragedy, Lauren led a sheltered life in a wealthy corner of America, in a town outside Manhattan on the ba...moreIn Close Your Eyes, the author of the bestselling How to Be Lost spins another mesmerizing tale of buried family secrets.

For most of her life, Lauren Mahdian has been certain of two things: that her mother is dead, and that her father is a murderer.

Before the horrific tragedy, Lauren led a sheltered life in a wealthy corner of America, in a town outside Manhattan on the banks of Long Island Sound, a haven of luxurious homes, manicured lawns, and seemingly perfect families. Here Lauren and her older brother, Alex, thought they were safe.

But one morning, six-year-old Lauren and eight-year-old Alex awoke after a night spent in their tree house to discover their mother’s body and their beloved father arrested for the murder.

Years later, Lauren is surrounded by uncertainty. Her one constant is Alex, always her protector, still trying to understand the unraveling of his idyllic childhood. But Lauren feels even more alone when Alex reveals that he’s been in contact over the years with their imprisoned father—and that he believes he and his sister have yet to learn the full story of their mother’s death.

Then Alex disappears.

As Lauren is forced to peek under the floorboards of her carefully constructed memories, she comes to question the version of her history that she has clung to so fiercely. Lauren’s search for the truth about what happened on that fateful night so many years ago is a riveting tale that will keep readers feverishly turning pages.

I liked this book. I always rate a mystery by if I figure it out before it is revealed. This one caught me off gaurd (a good thing). I liked how the characters were developed, it wasn't sappy and ended more realstic then most books. I will read another book by this author.

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Nov 17, 2012 Jodie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I really liked most of this book and it was a great way to spend a lazy Sunday morning. The subject is dark, after all it can hardly get much worse than your mum getting murdered and the father that you idolise going to jail for it. Talk about the end of your happy childhood in a flat second.

The thing that let me down on this is that I kind of just got annoyed with Lauren. I loved all the people in her life though, especially Mr Cheapskate. Oh and the brief chapters by Mae are some of the most m...more

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About Amanda Eyre Ward

Amanda Eyre Ward was born in New York City in 1972. Her family moved to Rye, New York when she was four. Amanda attended Kent School in Kent, CT, where she wrote for the Kent News.

Amanda majored in English and American Studies at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She studied fiction writing with Jim Shepard and spent her junior fall in coastal Kenya. She worked part-time at the Will...more

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