Closed Doors by Lisa O'Donnell Published by Harper on May 20th 2014
Pages: 256
Genres: Contemporary
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Also by this author: The Death of Bees
A young boy on a small Scottish island where everyone knows everything about everyone else, will discover that a secret is a dangerous thing in this tense and brilliant tale of from Lisa O'Donnell, the bestselling author of The Death of Bees, winner of the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize.
Eleven-year-old Michael Murray is the best at two things: keepy-uppies and keeping secrets. His family thinks he's too young to hear grown-up stuff, but he listens at doors; it's the only way to find out anything. And Michael's heard a secret, one that might explain the bruises on his mother's face.
When the whispers at home and on the street become too loud to ignore, Michael begins to wonder if there is an even bigger secret waiting to be discovered. Scared of what might happen if anyone finds out, and desperate for life to be normal again, Michael sets out to piece together the truth. But he also has to prepare for the upcoming talent show, keep an eye out for Dirty Alice, his arch-nemesis, and avoid eating Granny's watery stew.
Closed Doors is a vivid evocation of the fears and freedoms of childhood and a powerful tale of love, the loss of innocence, and the importance of family in difficult times.
About Lisa O'Donnell
Lisa O’Donnell winner of The Orange Prize for New Screenwriters with her screenplay The Wedding Gift in 2000. Lisa was also nominated for the Dennis Potter New Writers Award in the same year. She moved to Los Angeles with her family in 2006, penning her first novel The Death of Bees in 2010. Published to critical acclaim by Windmill Books in 2012 The Death of Bees will be published in the US by Harper Collins January 2013.
The Death of Bees is a definite favorite of mine and I’ve been eagerly awaiting more from this author. Closed Doors sounds just as fantastic – I can’t wait!
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hm, not so sure about this one. Then again, I wasn’t so sure about Death of Bees until I read it, wow.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. The summary didn’t wow me but I’m totally giving it a shot regardless.
Sounds good. I still haven’t read Death of Bees, but I hope to soon. Nice choice — I hope you enjoy!
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This looks pretty good, although I don’t read a lot of contemporaries. But I heard really good things about The Death of Bees, so I may just try this one! Great pick!
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Thanks, Tammy!
This sounds like it could be a really good story, though I’m scared to find out what this secret is that causes bruises on his mother’s face. This is a reminder that I need to read The Death of Bees too. Thanks for sharing!
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This looks like it could be about a couple topics and I am interested to read it to see which one she picked! Thanks for bringing this to my attention I’ll add it to my To Read list now!