Library Day – Behind Closed Doors

Whether in life or literature, when something appears too good to be true, it usually is.

We can never really know the truth about someone’s life until we live it. People’s lives appear precisely the way they intend no matter what truth exists privately. And while it is certainly easy to judge a book by its cover (who doesn’t?), it is best to reserve judgment until we read it. I was recently offered the opportunity to read B. A. Paris’ Behind Closed Doors in exchange for an honest review. After reading some sample chapters online, I was intrigued and easily drawn into the story.

Advance reviews and hype promised a “wonderfully horrifying” tale of “amazing evil.” Buzz from the novel’s UK release was exciting and mysterious. I can concede those points; the story that unfolds in Behind Closed Doors is indeed horrifying and I did find myself amazed that any person – real or imagined – could possibly do the things Jack Angel does in this novel. The story does offer mystery and excitement, as one might expect from the title.

 

 

To any observer, Jack Angel and Grace Harrington appear to have the perfect life. Two attractive and successful people meet unexpectedly and their whirlwind romance leads to an elegant wedding, an exotic honeymoon, and a stunning custom-made home that provides the perfect backdrop for their perfect marriage. They appear to have it all. But as the cover teases, both the reader and the novel’s other characters quickly begin to wonder whether Jack and Grace are living the perfect marriage or a perfect lie.

Some of Jack and Grace’s friends are in awe (and perhaps a bit suspicious) of their seemingly perfect life. But Paris does not carry these suspicions through the novel consistently enough to truly make us wonder, at least not with the characters who will ultimately prove critical in the end. It is actually Grace’s younger sister Millie who makes us look carefully at Jack. A dashing and successful lawyer, Jack sweeps not only Grace off her feet, but her sister as well. Millie is as easily enamored of Jack as Grace is until something happens to change her mind. From that moment on, the reader distrusts Jack right along with Grace and Millie, and for good reason.

The majority of the novel is devoted to revealing the sordid details of Jack and Grace’s marriage in chapters alternating between past and present. The story and the writing are engaging enough that I finished it in two short sittings; it is a quick. easy read and well-written. Unfortunately, I found the characters fairly one-dimensional, and therefore unbelievable. It is easy to like Grace, to love sweet Millie, and even to be charmed by Jack, but human beings are simply far more complex than Paris allows her characters to be.

We’ve seen Jack’s character before; he is basically a stock character, the movie-star handsome and successful lawyer who hides a sinister secret (think The Devil’s Advocate or The Firm). We know he is capable of unspeakable acts, but mainly from Grace’s perspective. Grace is introduced as charming, intelligent, and capable with an exciting career. But as her relationship with Jack intensifies, her personality diminishes. Millie is sweet, innocent, and easy to love. It is she more than Grace, perhaps, who prompts the reader to fall in love with Jack right along with the Harrington sisters.

The novel’s title and opening pages make it clear enough that the tale is one of terror that I don’t feel I’m giving too much away here by mentioning that Grace endures horrific and terrifying abuse of all kinds at the hands of Jack. The emotional and psychological torture is dark and disturbing, but at the same time I found the scenarios lacking any real sense of tension or danger. I kept reading mostly because I was hoping for some real edge-of-your-seat horror or redemption for any of the characters, but it never quite happens.

 

[tweetthis]When something appears too good to be true, it usually is. [/tweetthis]

 

Some readers have questioned Paris’ use of Down Syndrome for Millie’s character and I can understand why – no one wants to think of Millie in this unspeakable danger. I might see where Paris was going, though; perhaps her intent was to present Millie as someone so sweet and guileless that her distrust of Jack bears weight over the gossipy suspicions of Grace’s female friends who simply come across as jealous.

Overall, the story and the writing were absolutely engaging enough to keep me reading, but I was disappointed by the lack of depth in the characters. I found myself wishing more than once that Paris would have explored other particular details of the story more fully and I found the ending to be somewhat of a letdown. There was a definite resolution to the story, but it was predictable and I was rather hoping for a shocking end.

If you like a light mystery and can stomach the type of violence in here, you will likely enjoy this book. If you are looking for deep plot development or intense character development and interaction, though, you will fare better elsewhere. I would be unlikely to purchase this book on my own, but can appreciate it for what it is – a quick and easy read that does not require too much from the reader to keep turning pages. It’s a good beach or poolside read.

Thank you to Macmillan and St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.