Introduction

Gone Girl meets Before I Go to Sleep in Sophie McKenzie's Close My Eyes, a riveting psychological thriller about a grieving mother who finds out years after her daughter’s death that her child may still be alive

When Geniver Loxley lost her daughter at birth eight years ago, her world stopped… and never fully started again. Mothers with strollers still make her flinch; her love of writing has turned into a half-hearted teaching career; and she and her husband, Art, have slipped into the kind of rut that seems inescapable.

But then a stranger shows up on their doorstep, telling Gen the very thing she’s always wanted to hear: that her daughter Beth was not stillborn, but was taken away as a healthy infant and is still out there, somewhere, waiting to be found. It’s insane, unbelievable. But why would anyone make that up? A fissure suddenly opens up in Gen’s carefully reconstructed life, letting in a flood of unanswerable questions. Where is Beth now? Why is Art so reluctant to get involved? To save his wife from further hurt? Or is it something more sinister? And who can she trust to help her?

Ignoring the warnings of her husband and friends, Gen begins to delve into the dark corners of her past, hopeful she’ll find a clue to her daughter’s whereabouts. But hope quickly turns into fear and paranoia, as she realizes that finding the answers might open the door to something even worse than not knowing. A truth that could steal everything she holds close – even her own life.

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Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE


I’m late.
I hate being late.
I’m supposed to meet Art at 5 P.M. and it’s already quarter to. I race down the corridor to the staff room. I can’t remember the new code for the door, so have to wait outside until another teacher lets me through. I shove my spare photocopies in my pigeonhole then deposit my attendance sheet in the box. As I reach the exit, Sami, the head of Humanities, reminds me that tomorrow morning’s class is canceled due to building repairs. I make a mental note then fly out of the Institute doors and half run, half jog along Great Queen Street to Kingsway. It’s gray and gloomy, the clouds swollen with rain. There are no cabs. I should get the tube to Oxford Circus, but since the 7/7 attacks I avoid using the underground when possible. Anyway, I’ve always preferred the bus. Art hates buses. Too slow. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1.One of the things which make this novel work so well is the way the author gives us several possibilities, all equally credible, as to what might have happened to Geniver’s baby. Discuss how this is achieved.

2.Which option is the one you are most inclined to believe until you find out the truth at the end of the novel?

3.As Geniver is a first-person narrator, we experience everything from her perspective. How does this bias your perception of people and situations from
the beginning? Does it ever make you doubt her decisions?

4.There are multiple clues throughout the novel that point towards the several big reveals at the end. Do you think these are intentionally placed as hints or are they meant to further the paranoia and sense of unreliable perceptions?

5. When we first meet Lorcan he comes across as charming but untrustworthy. By the end of the novel his true character is revealed. Discuss his role in this novel.

6.A well-respected businessman who clearly adores his wife, how does your opinion of Art change during the course of the novel? How does the author achieve this?

7. The child’s narrative that intersperses the story is a mystery until the very end. Who did you think it was? Discuss how the reveal of the child’s identity and his specific loyalties change the way you think about the novel.

8. Throughout the novel there is an underlying tension and sense of paranoia. How does the author create this?

9. Both Morgan and Art are severely affected by their childhood relationships with their late father. How much does this early trauma contribute to their life
decisions and personalities? Does the knowledge of their difficult childhoods make you more understanding of their adult actions?

10. What about Gen? Do her memories of her late father influence her actions in any way?

Weblinks

»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Author Sophie McKenzie's web site
»	Follow Sophie on Facebook
»	Follow Sophie on Twitter

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