When I Close My Eyes: A Novel

by Elizabeth Musser

Overview

Could she ever share the secret of The Awful Year?

There is one story that novelist Josephine Bourdillon shirked from writing. And now she may never have a chance. Trapped in her memories, she lies in a coma.

The man who put her there is just as paralyzed. Former soldier Henry Hughes failed to complete the kill. What's more: he never received full payment—funds that would ensure surgery for his son.

As detectives investigate disturbing fan letters, a young but not-so-naïve Paige Bourdillon turns to her mother's turbulent past for answers. Could The Awful Year be worse than the one they're living now?

Set against the flaming hills of North Carolina and the peaceful shores of the Mediterranean Sea, When I Close My Eyes tells the story of two families struggling with dysfunction and finding that love is stronger than death.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780764234446
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/05/2019
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	293,325
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Elizabeth Musser, an Atlanta native, lives and works with her husband in southern France. She is the author of ten novels, including the critically acclaimed The Swan House. Visit Elizabeth's website at
www.elizabethmusser.com

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/30/2019

Musser (The Long Highway Home) delivers a powerful story about mental illness and forgiveness, connecting the culprit and victim of a violent attack through their strong faith. Josephine Bourdillon, a best-selling novelist, is shot in the head as she’s getting into her car in Asheville, N.C. Henry Hughes, the hired gun, is a veteran suffering from PTSD who needed the money from the hit to pay for his son’s heart operation. While Josephine is in a coma, she relives the high and low points of her life. Meanwhile, Henry plans on finishing the job so he can get the money and protect his family from Nick, the mysterious person who hired him and is now threatening to hurt them. He also begins reading Josepehine’s books; her words touch him deeply and he begins to wonder if good can actually come from bad. As Josephine’s teenage daughter Paige cares for her mother at the hospital, she tries to figure out who wanted her mother dead while keeping from the police information that might lead them to suspect her father. In a serendipitous turn, Paige befriends Henry’s wife, who is at the same hospital watching over her sick son. Musser’s raw portrayal of life with mental illness and the strength of faith to overcome injury will appeal to readers who enjoyed Katie Ganshert’s Life After. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly