Behind Closed Doors Book Review

Behind Closed Doors is a little out of my comfort zone when it comes to reading, but I have to say a huge thank you to Penguin Random House South Africa for sending me a review copy of this book. While it is not my genre of choice, this was a wonderfully entertaining read and a book I will proudly display on my bookshelf. It has such a pretty cover – I just love the look of this book.

Picking a life partner, and the father to your children is a decision that is never taken lightly. The partner you choose has a huge impact on your future and to some extent, we all change a little bit when we join our lives with someone else’s. But how much do you allow your partner to change you? When does that change become unhealthy? And when is your partner expecting too much? Behind Closed Doors look at all those questions. As well as how far will you go to protect your family if you made the wrong choice?

Reading Behind Closed Doors was my first encounter with Catherine Alliott. The book is conversational, while you are reading it feels as if you are sitting chatting to Lucy. She tells you what she is thinking and experiencing, sharing her fears and her excitement from page to page. The author manages to maintain this conversational theme throughout the book so by the time you reach the last page, it feels like Lucy is a close friend.

Lucy has had a troubled life, so when her marriage to Michael suddenly comes to an end, her life is turned upside down. She decides to leave her London house and move to her parents in the country. Their house providing a haven when she needs it most, a place where she feels safe. Soon after settling in, she discovers life is not as smooth as it appears for her parents. Both in their 80s they are not coping. Lucy falls into the routine of caring for her parents. But is that what she wants for the rest of her life? When two prospective men walk into her life she is forced to ask herself if she is ready to let someone in…. to open herself up after her terrible marriage to Michael.

Having older parents myself it was easy to relate to Lucy choice to take care of her parents. I have experienced so many of the same issues she faced on that front, making her very relatable. The story entailed so much more though. Looking at domestic abuse – while not physical – explores how much harm can be done by emotional and verbal abuse. The amount of doubt and insecurity it can cause. This book wanders into a much darker place once you find yourself wrapped up in the story.

Lucy was a wonderful character. The author managed to create a realistic woman, with various faces. We all have different sides to ourselves which help us deal with various situations, these were perfectly shown in this character. Reading the book, you meet Lucy the wife, Lucy the mother, Lucy the daughter and sister as well as Lucy just trying to find her true self after a long, bad marriage.

Yep, I Loved it. Mostly because it is quite different from the books I normally read, but I also loved this book because of the fantastic job the author did with her character. She was extremely detailed, and you see Lucy as a friend by the time you finish the book.

This book will keep fans of Woman’s Fiction reading until the early hours of the morning. Behind Closed Doors is a fabulous tale drifting into the darker side of relationships, family ties and the need to keep up appearances.