Open your eyes

Format:

Book

Title:

Open your eyes

Author:

Daly, Paula author

ISBN:

9780802128454

Edition:

First Grove Atlantic hardcover edition.

Publication:

New York, NY : Grove Press, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, 2018.

Physical Description:

339 pages ; 21 cm

Summary:

"Haven't we all wanted to pretend everything's perfectly fine? Jane Campbell avoids confrontation at all costs. Given the choice, she'll always let her husband, Leon--a bestselling thriller author--fight their battles. She'd prefer to focus on the good things in life: precious days with her two young children, a steady and loving marriage, their mischievously playful cat Bonita, and her fulfilling job as a creative writing teacher. In Jane's eyes, life is altogether sweeter than any individual bump in the road. But when Leon suffers a brutal attack in the driveway of their home, in front of their children, Jane has to finally face reality. Who would commit such a hateful offense in broad daylight? Leon has imagined his fair share of crime on the page, and now this unthinkable violence has landed on the Campbell family doorstep. With her husband in a coma, Jane must open her eyes to the problems in her life, as well as the secrets that have been kept from her. Although she might not like what she sees, if she's committed to discovering who hurt her husband--and why--Jane needs to take matters into her own hands. A surprising and gripping thriller of literary ambition and envy, from acclaimed novelist Paula Daly, Open Your Eyes exposes an ordinary suburban family to a shocking act of revenge that irreparably changes their lives"-- Provided by publisher.

Jane Campbell avoids confrontation at all costs. Given the choice, she'll always let her husband, Leon-- a bestselling thriller author-- fight their battles. When Leon suffers a brutal attack in the driveway of their home, in front of their children, Jane has to finally face reality. Who would commit such a hateful offense in broad daylight? With her husband in a coma, Jane must open her eyes to the problems in her life, as well as the secrets that have been kept from her. Although she might not like what she sees, if she's committed to discovering who hurt her husband-- and why-- Jane needs to take matters into her own hands. -- adapted from publisher info.

Subject(s):

Man-woman relationships -- Fiction.

Married people -- Fiction.

Victims of violent crimes -- Fiction.

Genre:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	Daly, P.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	Daly, P.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Silver Falls Library	FIC DALY	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

From acclaimed novelist and "master of psychological thrillers" ( Library Journal ) Paula Daly, Open Your Eyes follows a bestselling crime novelist's tragic turn from fictional perpetrator into real-life victim.

Jane Campbell avoids confrontation at any costs. Given the choice, she'll always let her husband, Leon--a bestselling crime writer--take the lead, while she focuses on her two precious young children and her job as a creative writing teacher. After she receives another rejection for her novel, Leon urges Jane to put her hobby to rest. And why shouldn't she, when through Jane's rose-tinted glasses, they appear to have the perfect house and the perfect life?

But then Leon is brutally attacked in their driveway while their children wait quietly in the car, and suddenly, their perfect life becomes the stuff of nightmares. Who would commit such a hateful offense in broad daylight? With her husband in a coma, Jane must open her eyes to the problems in her life, as well as the secrets that have been kept from her. Although she might not like what she sees, if she's committed to discovering who hurt her husband--and why--Jane must take matters into her own hands.

A surprising and gripping thriller of pride, ambition, and envy, Open Your Eyes is an unsettling whodunit about the illusions of a perfect marriage that confirms Paula Daly as a writer at the forefront of domestic suspense.

Author Notes

PAULA DALY is the author of Just What Kind of Mother Are You?, Keep Your Friends Close, The Mistake I Made, and The Trophy Child. Open Your Eyes is her fifth novel. She lives in North West England.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Jane Campbell, the narrator of this superior domestic thriller from British author Daly (The Trophy Child), is accustomed to having her husband, Leon, handle their finances, household decisions, and even any comments that may arise over their biracial marriage (she's white, he's black). The family lives comfortably in Liverpool on Leon's income as a top-selling crime fiction writer. Jane concentrates on their two children, their home, and teaching creative writing a couple of times a week. That her own manuscripts have been rejected several times is her one sore spot. Jane's life changes when Leon is shot in the head with a nail gun in their driveway minutes after a confrontation with their elderly neighbor with whom they've had an ongoing feud. As Leon recovers, Jane begins to learn how much her husband has hidden from her-they are deeply in debt, he is way behind in his latest manuscript, and he has made some dangerous enemies. Believable twists and characters who realistically change distinguish this brisk story. Agent: Jane Gregory, David Higham Assoc. (U.K.). (Oct.) c Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Review

When her husband is assaulted in broad daylight, a woman must fight to uncover his secrets in Daly's (The Trophy Child, 2017, etc.) domestic thriller.Jane Campbell prides herself on her equanimity even as she also recognizes that she will do almost anything to avoid face-to-face conflict. She's not someone who actively seizes her dreams, as evidenced by the fact that she teaches creative writing instead of fighting to publish her own book. Her husband, Leon, in contrast, is not only a successful crime novelist, but also a strong personality who doesn't turn away from a fight. One afternoon, as they prepare to pull out of the driveway with their two children in the car, Jane goes inside to fetch something. When she returns several minutes later, Leon has been brutally attacked. Most of the novel follows Jane's struggles as she works to support Leon, who is in a medically induced coma; keep her children safe; and make enough money to keep them all afloat. For as she begins digging into her husband's life, she finds out that he's been lying to her about his writing and about their finances. Perhaps the list of suspects is longer than at first it appearsand maybe Leon was even having mental problems before his brain surgery. This is an evenly paced thriller; Daly delivers just enough clues and twists, a little bit at a time, to keep the reader guessing. It's easy to relate to Jane; her general passiveness leads to few character surprises, but she firmly gains and keeps our sympathy, unlike many more unreliable narrators who pepper domestic suspense novels these days. After the shocking beginning, Jane's dogged pursuit of the truth keeps the novel grounded.A satisfyingly original thriller. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* This fifth absorbing domestic thriller (following The Trophy Child , 2017) from acclaimed crime-writer Daly, is afire with her trademark brilliantly defined characters, the nice and the not so nice. Leon Campbell is a best-selling thriller author with everything going for him when he is brutally attacked in the driveway of his own home. His wife, Jane, is catapulted from her happy life built around a loving marriage, two young children, a playful cat, and a fulfilling job as a creative-writing teacher into an absolute nightmare. With Leon in a coma, Jane is forced to remove her rose-colored glasses as she begins to realize that he has been keeping secrets from her, secrets that now threaten the emotionally devastated family. And what did Leon do to make someone want to kill him? After she herself becomes a suspect, Jane takes matters into her own hands and faces terrifying consequences for her interference after being warned to stay away from playing Miss Marple. The element of literary ambition makes for a fascinating story within the story, with details on the dangers of plagiarism and the destructive practice of sock puppetry posting fake bad reviews of authors' work enhancing the telling. The turn at the end is an absolute triumph. Readers will hope to hear more of the Campbells soon.--Jane Murphy Copyright 2018 Booklist