Dr. Jay Erlich has just received a phone call from his devastated ne’er do well brother Charlie that will change the doctor’s life. Jay’s nephew committed suicide by jumping from a cliff after spending years battling mental illness. Jay’s return to his brother and sister-in-law sucks him in to uncovering the circumstances of his nephew’s death, but his investigation only raises more questions.
Jay’s quest takes him not only through his nephew’s brief life but also jolts reminders of his own adolescence, in which he met a cult leader whose followers committed terrible crimes on his behalf. Remarkably, Jay crosses paths with the followers again, quietly reliving the horrific side of the 1960s.
Through it all, Jay also faces his guilt with being a successful professional with a loving wife and happy family compared to Charlie’s heartbreaking path of poverty and his son’s mental illness. This difference truly comes into relief after his return from Charlie’s side and back with his normal, quintessentially American family. Unfortunately for Jay, he can’t let go of his investigation even as it brings heartache for everyone as he desperately tries to figure out why his nephew died alone and afraid.
Detective Don Sherwood reluctantly agrees to help the doctor even while he’s sure that the doctor has just taken his grief in a futile search of reason for something incomprehensible. The nephew’s well-documented mental illness after a promising beginning made his fatal demons that much more tragic.
Bestselling Author Andrew Gross
Andrew Gross has also co-written books such as Judge & Jury and Lifeguard with best-selling author James Patterson in addition to The Blue Zone, Reckless and The Dark Tide.
Eyes Wide Open, titled Killing Hour in the UK and Australian versions, was partially inspired by Gross’ own brief encounter with mass-murdered and cult leader, Charles Manson, before the Tate killings. Because of this intense connection, the recount of the slayings of nine people is chilling but too familiar, down to paintings made with blood and cryptic sayings, to truly shock.
Gross’ experience as an authentic grieving uncle coming to grips with his own nephew’s early death serves to strengthen the deeply personal novel, with the denial and wishes of hindsight rendered in full force.
Eyes Wide Open
Eyes Wide Open becomes more disturbing for its closeness to reality even while losing its power to surprise readers familiar with the Helter Skelter era in what would otherwise be nearly
unthinkable.
Publishing Information
Gross, Andrew. Eyes Wide Open. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2011.
Bonnye Good - Bonnye Busbice Good received an Editor's Choice award for her article on Your Historic Home's Interior Design Secrets and has also written ...
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