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Open My Eyes, That I May See Marvellous Things
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: when adopted midwife Mariam embarks on a project to protect an abandoned premature baby, she is forced to face her own abandonment years before. Time is running out before the baby is sent to the orphanage. Mysterious characters from the city surrounding the hospital will be crucial in determining the baby's fate, as will a workaholic British doctor with whom Mariam finds herself falling in love... Alice Allan's debut novel is an original, vivid and moving story about attachment and loss.
- GenresFiction
240 pages, Paperback
Published March 30, 2017
14 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Alice Allan
3 books4 followersI grew up in rural Devon, England, but have lived all over the world with my husband and two daughters. I've worked as an actress and narrator, a public health specialist and a writer.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 13, 2018
Time taken to read - 1 day
Pages - 240
Publisher - Pinter & Martin
Source - Review Copy
Blurb from Goodreads
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: when adopted midwife Mariam embarks on a project to protect an abandoned premature baby, she is forced to face her own abandonment years before. Time is running out before the baby is sent to the orphanage. Mysterious characters from the city surrounding the hospital will be crucial in determining the baby's fate, as will a workaholic British doctor with whom Mariam finds herself falling in love... Alice Allan's debut novel is an original, vivid and moving story about attachment and loss.
My Review
We are in Ethiopia when we meet Mariam, midwife and very good at her job although outspoken which doesn't always go well with her colleagues. When a baby is abandoned it shouldn't be any different from all the others but this one is. Mariam cannot help but be drawn to the baby and reflect, question and acknowledge her own past.
The book chapters splits between Mariam, A Person, the baby and John a doctor in the hospital, married to the job. As we move between the characters we get a feel for the city, hospital, life for some in Ethiopia and how we cannot out run our past. I do like a book that has health related issues or a medical setting in them and being set in Ethiopia was an added bonus point for me as it is always interesting (for me) to see how things are done in other settings.
It isn't medical heavy so if that isn't your thing don't worry about it, I just mention is as I enjoyed those parts. There is a lot of personal issues going on with the characters and we find them, particularly Mariam, going on a bit of an emotion rollercoaster. Work dynamics, relationships and adoption also feature in the story, it has a lot going on but written well.
I also need to mention the actual physical book I have. I am not sure if they are all like this but it has such a lovely feel and the pages are very different from any of the other books I have read. The material is so nice I would love all my books to be made of that but then would maybe be even harder to give them away! I think this is a really well tackled and written debut novel and I am so glad I was sent it as I may well have bypassed it in the book shop. This is my first by Allan but it won't be my last, I look forward to her next offering, 3.5/5 for me this time.
Pages - 240
Publisher - Pinter & Martin
Source - Review Copy
Blurb from Goodreads
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: when adopted midwife Mariam embarks on a project to protect an abandoned premature baby, she is forced to face her own abandonment years before. Time is running out before the baby is sent to the orphanage. Mysterious characters from the city surrounding the hospital will be crucial in determining the baby's fate, as will a workaholic British doctor with whom Mariam finds herself falling in love... Alice Allan's debut novel is an original, vivid and moving story about attachment and loss.
My Review
We are in Ethiopia when we meet Mariam, midwife and very good at her job although outspoken which doesn't always go well with her colleagues. When a baby is abandoned it shouldn't be any different from all the others but this one is. Mariam cannot help but be drawn to the baby and reflect, question and acknowledge her own past.
The book chapters splits between Mariam, A Person, the baby and John a doctor in the hospital, married to the job. As we move between the characters we get a feel for the city, hospital, life for some in Ethiopia and how we cannot out run our past. I do like a book that has health related issues or a medical setting in them and being set in Ethiopia was an added bonus point for me as it is always interesting (for me) to see how things are done in other settings.
It isn't medical heavy so if that isn't your thing don't worry about it, I just mention is as I enjoyed those parts. There is a lot of personal issues going on with the characters and we find them, particularly Mariam, going on a bit of an emotion rollercoaster. Work dynamics, relationships and adoption also feature in the story, it has a lot going on but written well.
I also need to mention the actual physical book I have. I am not sure if they are all like this but it has such a lovely feel and the pages are very different from any of the other books I have read. The material is so nice I would love all my books to be made of that but then would maybe be even harder to give them away! I think this is a really well tackled and written debut novel and I am so glad I was sent it as I may well have bypassed it in the book shop. This is my first by Allan but it won't be my last, I look forward to her next offering, 3.5/5 for me this time.
June 8, 2018
I don’t read a lot of fiction, I don’t want to describe the whole genre as boring, but in general I prefer to be learning about something. I get a buzz when I feel my mind expanding and developing, and in general, fiction just doesn’t do this for me. Whilst there are notable exceptions where I have read a fiction book and it has electrified me and I haven’t been able to put it down, most often they are just nice stories, and I would rather value my reading time on something more valuable than that. So, reading this novel by Alice Allan is a bit of a test for me.
I recognised Alice Allan’s name from the opening author description. I have heard her speak and tell of her experience of living in Ethiopia as a diplomat’s wife and working with new-borns, I remember her being an engaging and enjoyable speaker.
I thought that ‘Open My Eyes…’ was well written with good use of language, Alice Allan clearly has a very good knowledge of Ethiopia and the local culture which was interesting to read about and to then view British culture from an outside perspective. However, at times I felt that Alice laboured the point of her foreign knowledge a little, as if she was trying to prove how much she knew, well she passed that test, and then some.
The story follows Mariam as she works out a placement on a maternity ward in Addis Ababa. Through trying to do her best for an abandoned premature baby she deals with her own ghosts of being abandoned and adopted. The story is told in the first person by different members of the story. The book raises traditional-yet-innovative baby care styles such as kangaroo care and breast milk donation in a gentle, positive and convincing way.
Alongside this there is an unconvincing love interest with a British doctor who has lived most of his life abroad. I couldn’t get to grips with this romance, I don’t think it helped that something from the description of the doctor put the image of Greg Davies in my head and I couldn’t shake it, after that all I could think of was his awkward postures and faces in every scene the doctor was in! Although at least this added some comedic value.
I didn’t appreciate the parts of the person/Tewodros, containing so much crazy rambling, this instantly sent me back to college and studying The Spire by William Golding which is without question the worst book I have ever read, and I did not enjoy being reminded of it.
In opposition to this I did like the first-person experiences of the baby which I felt added a much-needed depth and sensitivity to the story, they were probably my favourite bits.
Overall this was not a bad book, it was certainly well written and authoritative of Ethiopian culture, and I thought it got the messages of loving baby care across clearly and tenderly. I would have preferred the pace of the book to have been quicker, whilst I never felt that I couldn’t go on with reading it, I also never felt gripped by it. In the end, it reminded me why I don’t read much fiction, I just find it a bit boring.
I recognised Alice Allan’s name from the opening author description. I have heard her speak and tell of her experience of living in Ethiopia as a diplomat’s wife and working with new-borns, I remember her being an engaging and enjoyable speaker.
I thought that ‘Open My Eyes…’ was well written with good use of language, Alice Allan clearly has a very good knowledge of Ethiopia and the local culture which was interesting to read about and to then view British culture from an outside perspective. However, at times I felt that Alice laboured the point of her foreign knowledge a little, as if she was trying to prove how much she knew, well she passed that test, and then some.
The story follows Mariam as she works out a placement on a maternity ward in Addis Ababa. Through trying to do her best for an abandoned premature baby she deals with her own ghosts of being abandoned and adopted. The story is told in the first person by different members of the story. The book raises traditional-yet-innovative baby care styles such as kangaroo care and breast milk donation in a gentle, positive and convincing way.
Alongside this there is an unconvincing love interest with a British doctor who has lived most of his life abroad. I couldn’t get to grips with this romance, I don’t think it helped that something from the description of the doctor put the image of Greg Davies in my head and I couldn’t shake it, after that all I could think of was his awkward postures and faces in every scene the doctor was in! Although at least this added some comedic value.
I didn’t appreciate the parts of the person/Tewodros, containing so much crazy rambling, this instantly sent me back to college and studying The Spire by William Golding which is without question the worst book I have ever read, and I did not enjoy being reminded of it.
In opposition to this I did like the first-person experiences of the baby which I felt added a much-needed depth and sensitivity to the story, they were probably my favourite bits.
Overall this was not a bad book, it was certainly well written and authoritative of Ethiopian culture, and I thought it got the messages of loving baby care across clearly and tenderly. I would have preferred the pace of the book to have been quicker, whilst I never felt that I couldn’t go on with reading it, I also never felt gripped by it. In the end, it reminded me why I don’t read much fiction, I just find it a bit boring.
July 17, 2019
I bought this book by accident, having sat next to the publisher at the People's Book Prize awards ceremony. We weren't in competition; my book was a finalist in the Children's category. I was taking a polite interest but the book sounded interesting, different (I know nothing about Ethiopia) - and for a few pages that's what I thought it was. A kind of education. The style is lean but beautiful. There's a rawness and honesty. This author faces up to poverty, injustice, inhumanity - but doesn't abandon hope. The characters became real for me and soon I was caught up in their story, which kept surprising me as it developed in a way that felt authentic. Towards the climax I was emotionally involved to the point of crying and calling out, "No! Please!". No novel has moved me more in 2019. I loved it.
June 8, 2020
Beautifully written book based in Addis Abbaba.
Moving, informative, well crafted story telling, with a lyrical voice and characters which linger in the mind. Like all the best books it left me wanting for more.
Moving, informative, well crafted story telling, with a lyrical voice and characters which linger in the mind. Like all the best books it left me wanting for more.
December 24, 2017
I bought this book at a recent Breastfeeding conference. Moving and honest book.
May 14, 2019
Beautiful story exploring many aspect of our inner being and cultural differences Heartbreaking at times
August 11, 2019
It is a just ok book
January 19, 2020
This is a beautiful book. Amazing descriptions of Ethiopia and you really feel for the characters. Inspiring and heartwarming.
January 18, 2018
I read this as a book group read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really like the structure of the book - the author had each of the characters tell their part of the story through their own chapter. The chapter were the baby describes its birth was excellent and clever.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews