Behind Closed Doors

B.A. Paris first book, Behind Closed Doors, is a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into 36 languages. It has also been optioned for a film. Her second novel, The Breakdown, is available now.


Blurb:

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth; she has charm and elegance.
He’s a dedicated attorney who has never lost a case; she is a flawless homemaker, a masterful gardener and cook, and dotes on her disabled younger sister. Though they are still newlyweds, they seem to have it all. You might not want to like them, but you do. You’re hopelessly charmed by the ease and comfort of their home, by the graciousness of the dinner parties they throw. You’d like to get to know Grace better.

But it’s difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are inseparable.

Some might call this true love. Others might wonder why Grace never answers the phone. Or why she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. Or why she never seems to take anything with her when she leaves the house, not even a pen. Or why there are such high-security metal shutters on all the downstairs windows.

Some might wonder what’s really going on once the dinner party is over, and the front door has closed.


Review: 

Behind Closed Doors tells the story of a perfect couple that is not so perfect after all. To others, Jack and Grace had the perfect house and perfect life. Jack, a lawyer and defender of battered women, and Grace a loving dutiful wife. Perfect. Not! The man Grace married is not at all what he seemed. And a hellish journey full of fear and disbelief awaits Grace in her 'perfect' home. This novel's premise alone sold me. I was sure the delivery would be just as awesome. And sometimes, it was. Millie, Grace's sister with Down syndrome, was great. Esther was perceptive. The way it was told was spot on. Great stuff here. Now, for the not so great stuff...spoiler alert...

I was not going to give this novel four stars. Mid-way, I decided three was good enough. Why? Grace frustrated me to no end. I felt that in order to make the psycho husband smarter, she was dumbed down. It drove me insane. She had plenty of opportunities to escape. And I kept thinking of every single scenario or instance where she could've escaped. Her husband took her out to dinner dates and to friend houses. They traveled. She wasn't locked in a room all the time. So, it was incredibly frustrating when she kept trying and failing or she'd give up quickly. My levels of annoyance kept rising all novel long until the end.

That very clever ending. Not knowing, but kinda knowing. Awaiting to be told if I was right or wrong. Edge of my seat stuff. Also, Behind Closed Doors didn't keep too much from us for very long. Whenever I wondered about something, it was revealed soon after, not leaving me hanging for chapter after agonizing chapter. The suspense was what kept me turning the page. I finished the last half in one day. Hence, four stars.

Overall, this novel was quite fun,and I found myself needing to know what would happen next, which is the great mark of storytelling.