Don't Close Your Eyes

A Novel

By: Holly Seddon

Narrated by: Mandy Williams, Elizabeth Knowelden

A juicy, powerful read featuring twin sisters who have drifted apart, and the shocking family secrets that bind them—for readers of The Woman in Cabin 10 and I Let You Go

When the past knocks, someone must answer.

In a bustling suburban neighborhood in Manchester, England, sits an unassuming house. There is no sign of life behind the unwashed windows, but Robin Marshall is inside. Driven by fears and obsessions, racked by anxiety, Robin is frantically pushing her body through punishing workouts, eating little, haunted by what happened to her family when she was a girl. Robin’s only connection to the outside world is through her rear windows and the lives she spies upon in the apartment house across the way. Then a stranger starts pounding on her door.

Sarah Marshall is Robin’s twin, estranged from her sister after their parents’ betrayal and a violation at the hands of a man she should have been able to trust. Sarah has recently lost custody of the child she loves more than anything and has set off on her own, hoping that somewhere in England she can find Robin, the braver twin, the rock star, the survivor, the savior.

These two young women, polar opposites, cannot go on unless they reckon with the past. While Sarah, slowly unraveling, searches for her sister’s hiding place, Robin sees another life hanging in the balance in the lighted windows across the street. It is a life only Robin can save—as long as she never looks away.

In a novel that is stunning in its twists, shocks, and gripping psychological suspense, two sisters find themselves on the razor’s edge of sanity. Untold secrets, a ghastly lie, and suffocating guilt hold them back. Only one astounding act can set them free. And one last revelation will leave readers gasping in surprise.

Praise for Don’t Close Your Eyes

“[A] smartly plotted psychological thriller . . . [Holly] Seddon skillfully pieces together the now-estranged twins’ lives. . . . Plenty of last-minute bombshells await.”—Publishers Weekly

Praise for Holly Seddon’s Try Not to Breathe

“A razor-sharp, fast-paced plot and wonderfully complex characters . . . Not since The Girl on the Train have I been so captivated by a work of suspense.”—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of I Know a Secret

“Delivers the high-quality thrills and intriguing characters that readers demand in the best of psychological thrillers.”—Associated Press

“A fast-paced debut about long-buried secrets and tangled truths.”—Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Where They Found Her

“Try not to breathe, try not to make plans, try not to commit to anything in fact till you have finished [Holly Seddon’s] debut novel, because we must warn you now—you’ll be fully hooked from page one.”—Glamour (U.K.)

“Fascinating . . . Seddon’s storytelling skills are strong and the book is engrossing.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A brilliant, beautifully written thriller.”—Augusten Burroughs, New York Times bestselling author of Running with Scissors

“This gripping thriller about family and redemption will keep readers engaged to the very end.”—Publishers Weekly

Critic reviews

Advance praise for Don’t Close Your Eyes

“[A] smartly plotted psychological thriller . . . [Holly] Seddon skillfully pieces together the now-estranged twins’ lives. . . . Plenty of last-minute bombshells await.”—Publishers Weekly

Praise for Holly Seddon’s Try Not to Breathe

“A razor-sharp, fast-paced plot and wonderfully complex characters . . . Not since The Girl on the Train have I been so captivated by a work of suspense.”—Tess Gerritsen, New York Timesbestselling author of I Know a Secret

“Delivers the high-quality thrills and intriguing characters that readers demand in the best of psychological thrillers.”—Associated Press

“A fast-paced debut about long-buried secrets and tangled truths.”—Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Where They Found Her

“Try not to breathe, try not to make plans, try not to commit to anything in fact till you have finished [Holly Seddon’s] debut novel, because we must warn you now—you’ll be fully hooked from page one.”—Glamour (U.K.)

“Fascinating . . . Seddon’s storytelling skills are strong and the book is engrossing.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A brilliant, beautifully written thriller.”—Augusten Burroughs, New York Times bestselling author of Running with Scissors

“This gripping thriller about family and redemption will keep readers engaged to the very end.”—Publishers Weekly

ending is a dud, lots of build up and no real end

Ending is a dud, lots of back story with no closure. was as if the writer just said f it, it's over.

SO DIFFERENT BUT FASCINATING!

This is my first book by this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The story continually goes back-and-forth between the past and the present from the two sisters' perspective, but it is never confusing. I found the storyline so very intriguing because you know there's so much that the reader does not know. I love how it takes place over such a long period of time. The narration was excellent and I was enthralled until the very end! Highly recommend!

Incredible, Insanely Twisted!!

Robin & Sarah couldn’t be more different but as fraternal twins there’s a bond that’s deeper than most. Their life is simple and quite with their parents when their mom becomes best friends with the new boy in schools mom. Family dinners become spending weekends at each other’s homes until things are a little too emeshed and all of their lives are changed. It seems that the path just catapults wildly after that. This book had great character and story development. The intensity of emotions had me riveted throughout, but I did giggle a few times, and cried. Definitely a great story and listen. Both narrators were spot on and excellent!

Don't close your eyes

A very well written book about redemption and tenacity. The characters have very big hearts.

Just okay

I loved Try Not to Breathe, so I was excited to listen to Seddon’s sophomore effort but this one fell a bit flat for me. The storyline was just intriguing enough for me to stick with it, at 1.25x speed.

Because it’s about a dysfunctional family, the story by nature is somewhat depressing. We see the ramifications that bad parenting can have on children, especially when they become adults. Of the two main characters Sarah was the most likable, with Robin being simultaneously boring and aggressive. Whereas I was interested in Sarah’s story and felt compassion for her, I had trouble relating to Robin or really caring much about her struggles. Callum’s character was also kind of boring, despite the fact that he acts out.

Not sure if this was intentional, but the narrator for Robin had a weird negative tinge to her voice and odd cadence. The tempo was waaay to slow at 1.0x speed but actually perfect at 1.25x speed.

The narrator for Sarah, on the other hand, was great and had a normal tempo (same narrator as main character in Try Not to Breathe). But because the perspectives switched so often, I wound up listening to her voice at 1.25x speed as well.