Genres: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Format: Paperback
Early 1400s Europe – The kingdom of Gora
“Close Your Eyes” is a story within a story. It is a tale about love, unrequited love, lost love, longing, loneliness, yearning, and the “stories” of the characters. Samuel, a dwarf, and the Court Jester for King Pawel of Gora, tells the story of his friend, Tycho the talented storyteller, who fled the castle/kingdom with Agnieszka the cook/chef. Employment in the kingdom is for life and they have broken the rule. In the past, breaking this rule has led to death.
Tycho, a creative and gifted storyteller, would tell fairy tales at night and the characters would gather to listen to them. He would ask them to close their eyes and his tales would flow. One character, Ahab, the astronomer, would listen and take notes – writing down the tales.
Samuel, who was left Tycho’s scrolls, has his own story to tell. We learn what brought him to the castle, his recollections/memories of the past, other characters and their histories. He wants to keep the memory of his friends alive and relay their story/stories as well. He wants to tell the story of what led up to Tycho and Agnieszka fleeing. This book is also told in part through the scrolls Tycho left for Samuel, the tales that Ahab wrote down and Bishop Tonnelli’s letters.
This is a fairy tale that has wit, funny moments, and heart. I found myself smiling frequently while reading. Many forms of love are shown, and the characters come alive through their stories. Each character is distinct, colorful and is experiencing some form of love; whether it be lost love like the King, Unrequited love, the longing to love and be loved, or the love you are willing to risk everything for. If you haven’t guessed it, Love is the name of the game in this book.
The book was on the slower side in the beginning as the author set the tone. I found this to be well written, clever, full of engaging interactions and dialogue, and quite enjoyable. This was a nice mash up of historical fiction and fairy tale. The kingdom of Gora, the characters and their lives came alive through Tomasini’s vivid descriptions.
An ode to love.
Thank you to Chris Tomasini who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.