When I Close My Eyes Kindle Edition

Elizabeth Musser has a way with words like few others. I’ve followed her work since the beginning with “Swan House” (and visited the real place because of that book); “When I Close My Eyes” lives up to the high standard set so many years ago. I can’t recommend this enough!Character development is spot on, as always; Musser creates co plea characters you can’t help but love-even some of the more colorful ones. She asks tough questions and always points back to Christ, even when the way seems murky.

I don’t typically read Christian fiction, as so much of it is just too squeaky clean and/or preachy. Th “Hypocrites,” I brooded. “Humans acting like humans” was Drake’s answer. This was far from either and covered real life issues that most Christians don’t even talk about, in a wonderfully graceful way. The subjects touched on were those affecting me in real life, though I had no idea this book would cover that.

A tragic event is experienced through the eyes of three different characters and two different families struggling with it. The book is a little darker than some of Elizabeth Musser books, but will draw you in to the story from the very beginning, to the end.

I have read all of Elizabeth's books and I think this is the best. She writes such a heartfelt and amazing story of grace and redemption. She is my very favorite author with clear messages of the Lord's care and understanding. Thank you Elizabeth for pouring so much of your faith and and clarity of the Lord's love in each and every one of your books

Loved reading this book! Once I started I couldn’t put it down. Elizabeth Musser has a beautiful way of writing that draws you into the storyline and builds each character so that they are relatable and reflects our humanity. At the end of the book we can see the beauty of each life and the value and dignity of each person. I felt inspired and encouraged.

This book was very compelling and thought provoking. Knowing a little about the author I knew she must have used some of her experience with developing each character.

Elizabeth Musser never ceases to amaze me with her unique and empathic style of writing. This is the 5th book of hers I have read and she never disappoints. I highly recommend this book and any book she has written.

Really great mystery and adventure !!!

Confession: When I picked this book up for book club, I didn’t bother reading the description. I mean, yes, I had read the description at some point in the dim, relatively distant past, but I had forgotten the details. As a result, my eyes bugged out of my head when I got to the second page. Having one of your main characters deliberately shoot a woman coming out of a book shop is hardly the typical opening of a Christian fiction novel, especially one outside the suspense genre. Rebel that I am, I was hooked. And that didn’t change over the pages that followed. Not only was the story intriguing—although I knew who pulled the trigger, I didn’t know who had contracted the kill or why—but it also explored the themes of grace and forgiveness in an unforgettable and challenging way.The story is told from three perspectives. The first is Henry’s, and despite the horror of what he did in the opening pages, I found myself quickly sympathetic to his situation and the way his life circumstances had shaped him. Musser did a superb job of capturing his voice, and his journey from pulling that trigger to the final pages of the novel was totally absorbing.The second perspective is Paige, the younger of Josephine’s two daughters. Interestingly, Paige is the only member of her family who has turned away from their faith, having been disillusioned by hypocritical behaviour from respected adults in her life who were professing Christians. At the beginning of the book, we’re told she’s sixteen, but that didn’t register with me until much later in the book, and she read more like a woman in her early- to mid-twenties to me. That aside, I loved the way she tussled with her family’s faith in light of what had happened. There is more I would say if I could, but it’s too difficult to do so without giving spoilers.The third perspective is Josephine’s, which gives the reader glimpses of her past while she remains in a coma. I won’t say any more about her point of view, again to avoid spoilers, but just sum up this review by saying this story really challenged me and resonated with me. Forgiveness and grace are powerful concepts. As Christians, we can so easily take them for granted when they’re extended to us by God, but how ready are we to offer them to others here on earth? The story also deals with mental health issues—again, something that really resonated with me.A thoroughly absorbing, intriguing, and powerful read.