Behind Closed Doors

Product Information

I've been dying to read this book every since I first saw the blurb about it. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty and I have an un-holy attraction to books about psychos. ice cream is good. cheese is good. both are dairy products. but telling someone, "oh, you like ice cream?? here, have some cheese!" is setting up an expectation that can at best end in confusion but more likely to result in resentment and murder. All we know --- is Grace is later going to have to find a way to cancel. She just won't be 'allowed' it seems to enjoy a lunch date with a girlfriend. Why? We don't know yet. Point is ....WE ARE INTERESTED IN THE BEGINNING..... They seem the most perfect of couples. Surely you have experienced it. The typically "forever happy, never row, never have a cross word, smiley at each other, gooey eyed seemingly perfect couple". As the truth of their marriage begins to unravel, Lucy leaves their house to go and care for her parents in the countryside, giving her time to reflect on her life and the decisions she's made.

For me, there is no doubt that Catherine Alliott is an accomplished and skilful writer. The cleverly constructed plot, well-drawn characters, relatable themes, and easy-to-read and intelligent prose make for an enjoyable and compelling read. I finished Behind Closed Doors with a happy heart. As the story progresses we see Lucy faced with further troubles from her past and this gave the story another layer that I hadn’t expected. I actually didn’t need the romance with Dan or Josh, it felt a little much for me. I was more interested in Lucy’s life as a free woman, away from the troubles of her marriage and finally enjoying her life. From the outside looking in Lucy has it all, a beautiful house and garden, a loving husband and two healthy grown up children that appear to be flourishing in their lives, but when there's a break in at Lucy's House and Michael, Her husband is caught in the cross fire and their marriage is about to come to an unexpected end. When Lucy Palmer's marriage to Michael ends suddenly, it turns her world upside down. As secrets start to unravel, Lucy leaves London and goes home to live with her elderly parents in the Chilterns. It allows her to look after her parents and to get her head together.Behind Closed Doors, a series of live music performances recorded for the Dutch multimedia platform 3voor12 Behind Closed Doors is a chilling and atmospheric psychological thriller. I have read a few books recently about marriages that are not all they same and when this theme is done well (as this book does) it's absolutely breathtaking and scary. Disturbed is what you will feel with much of this book, don't be surprised if your mouth pops open (watch out for fruit flies at that point). it's the literary parallel of the lifetime movie. in which assessment there is no pejorative value judgment implied - it is a marriage thriller, after all.

I finished Behind Closed Doors about half an hour ago, and my heart still feels like it’s racing, probably not helped by me forgetting to breathe throughout the majority of the book. I found myself wishing I could read faster, just so I had a chance to catch my breath. Make sure you read this with a glass of wine or a box of chocolates, as they may save your life by distracting you from the story long enough to remind you oxygen is an essential part of survival. I didn't much care for any of the characters and the writing was average. I guess some of the situations were meant to be funny but I did not find it so. Its nice to be reminded about the damage of domestic abuse and bullying but its been done so many times before.My first introduction to author Catherine Alliott’s life, I caught the subtle nuances hidden in the prose in the way she etched her characters. Secrets were cleverly camouflaged. Moral dilemmas were easy to deal with as the author knew how to make me love her characters. There were many who supported and loved Lucy.