My take on: Behind Closed Doors

What goes on behind closed doors? You never really know. Publicly, people let you see what you want them to see. It's behind closed doors where everyone lets their hair down, where everyone can be themselves.

In her debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, B. A. Paris explores the seemingly perfect marriage of Jack and Grace Angel.

A handsome lawyer named Jack meets Grace, great. Jack meets and completely embraces Grace's sister, Millie, who has Down Syndrome, great. Jack and Grace have a whirlwind romance, great. Jack and Grace get engaged, great. Once Millie finishes school, Jack insists she move in with them, great. An accident prevents Millie from taking part in the wedding, but Jack and Grace still get married. That's when things become not so great.

Once they're married, that's when things take a turn for the worse. Jack is no longer the perfect man, who is hopelessly in love. Jack reveals himself to be a total psycho, wackadoo. Why is he this way? What is his plan for Grace? Why did he marry Grace? I can't tell you. I can't say much more without giving away the whole plot. But I will say the journey through Jack and Grace's marriage was a frustrating, yet compulsive read. What frustrated me? Both of the main characters. Jack's personality and motivations seemed a little random. It was completely out of left field, but I suppose that's the point. While they were dating, Jack said and did everything that Grace wanted to hear. He gave her no reason to suspect him of anything suspicious. But you never really know someone until you're alone with them -- alone behind closed doors. Grace was equally frustrating. It seemed like there were so many opportunities for her to break away from Jack. I get that psychological and emotional abuse can turn a person into a prisoner literally and figuratively, but there was a moment very early on for Grace to leave. A moment when most reasonable and rational people would have gotten the heck out of dodge.

Despite my frustrations with this book, my favorite character has to be Millie. It took some time, but she saw through Jack. Millie was the most rational and lovable character in the entire book. Most of Grace and Jack's friends, with the exception of Esther, aren't very perceptive. Esther knows something isn't quite right about this marriage but doesn't know what to do about it. Only Millie makes it known her disdain for Jack, and she does it in an amusing way. Overall, this was addictive read. Give it a try!


Rating: Give it a try

Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher (St. Martin's Press) in exchange for an honest review.