Childhood was a happy, carefree time for Joseph Ramirez. At least that's how he remembered. it. But after a near-fatal traffic accident leaves him with a crushed skull, he's not so sure. Along with physical pain, Joseph now suffers recurring nightmares. And each night the heart-wrenching dreams grow increasingly vivid and graphic, to the point that he often cries out in anguish and remorse, revealing horrifying secrets kept hidden for twenty years. To complicate matters, a ruthless lawyer is challenging Joseph's innocence in the traffic accident. When defense attorney Michelle Haas comes to his aid, they discover they knew each other as children, and soon another forgotten experience comes into play, one that goes deeper than simple friendship. Together they struggle to answer Joseph's unanswerable questions. Are Joseph's night terrors actually repressed memories? Can his psychiatrist unravel the mystery behind his nightmares, including his hospital roommate's claim that Joseph has confessed to murder? As the clock ticks down, Joseph realizes there is only one way to uncover the truth about his family and himself, reliving a past he has unknowingly worked all his life to forget.
I love all of Gregg Luke's books. The thing I like the most, is that they all
are very different. Blink of an Eye starts off with a bang! The first page
has one of the most wonderful hooks that I have ever read! The first line says,
"It happened in a blink of an eye". From there you find out how the main character, Joseph Ramirez, is in an almost fatal car wreck. Gregg is so wonderful at "showing" what happens, that you can almost feel the pain Joseph is going through right after the wreck. He has mastered the art of showing not telling. Something that I have been working really hard on
learning.
This book has so much in it; a mystery, a little romance, and a psychological thriller. Gregg writes Joseph as an empathetic character. Joseph has experienced such disturbing things in his childhood. His mind had blocked out these experiences until he had the brain injury. Though you do read of physical abuse, it is not as graphic as it could have been. This book is so realistic from the medical language to the situation of abuse in Joseph's background. Of course, anyone who has read Gregg Luke's books before, knows that Gregg has an extensive medical background with him being a Pharmacist. He is one of the best writers when it comes to writing about medical/drug related etc. situations.
Gregg brings out each characters personality in a big way. As a reader, you dislike his hospital roommate (I did from the start), you really like his attorney Michelle, you are angry at his drunken father who is the abuser and you shake your head at Joseph's mother for letting the abuse happen right in front of her. Though in her defense, she was being abused herself and was scared to stand up to her husband. This was a very emotional read.
Lastly, the highest compliment that I can give this book is, I call Blink of an Eye a "Pick up this book and you can't put it down until you are finished" novel. I predict that this book will be in the final five for a Whitney Award. In fact, this novel is a winner already from the amazing cover down to the last page. I loved it and am giving it 5 stars!
Here are some interesting things that Gregg Luke said about Blink of an Eye. (I found this on his website)
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Writing Blink Of An Eye proved to be very enlightening. It turns out the science behind repressed memories, false memories, and hypnotic regression is not exact, which was good for me because it allowed greater artistic license. But I tried to stay as medically accurate as possible. Many people have asked the delicate question if this story is semi-autobiographical. The answer is no. The character of Joseph and what he experienced as a child is taken from psychology journals, text books, and interviews. Unfortunately, his experiences do represent real occurrences. The horrors some kids have to endure is disheartening. I tried to express that in my narrative, which proved to be more difficult than I expected. Blink ended up being a very emotional ride.
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