Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris is by far one of the most disturbing stories I have read in quite some time. It tells the story of Grace, a woman who recently married a man named Jack Angel and in public seems to happily play the part of loving and doting wife. None of the couple’s friends think anything is off or weird about them or the way they act, despite how seemingly perfect they are. In private there is a different story, a story of a woman who lives with a man who is perfectly willing to control everything Grace does from what she wears to what she does. Though never overtly violent, Grace is terrified that nonetheless something will happen. Why has Grace not left? Her younger sister Millie is coming to live with Grace soon and Jack is delighted to hold that threat over Grace’s head. As time passes and the pressure mounts, Grace must face her future, her past, and her choices in order to make a decision for not only her own future but that of Millie, an innocent already at risk of being caught up in something dangerous.
I found this book to be particularly difficult to read, not because it was bad, but entirely because of the content. When I said it was disturbing I really wasn’t kidding and having known people who have been in similar situations to Grace I know that this depiction is scarily accurate about just how easily these things can be hidden in plain sight. This book did an incredible job of really showing exactly how these types of situations can be played out and just how easily someone can fall into that type of situation. Something that I found interesting is how the story was framed. It utilized a dual timeline where we saw the events play out after Grace had been in that situation for a while but there was also a second earlier timeline that showed how Grace had ended up in that situation to start with. I found this interesting because it showed both sides of the equation, so to speak. It also did an incredible job of depicting Grace’s emotions, specifically her fear and her desperation, especially as things progressively got worse over time. I think this book was in part so disturbing though because it highlights just how someone can be technically abused but without violence which is something that is frequently overlooked. This is the kind of book that people need to read in order to get some realistic insight into these types of situations because it really does a great job of showing what they might look like. I may not have enjoyed this book overly much and I will admit that but I am also happy to have read it even if it was difficult because now I know a book that I can recommend for this topic. Considering my difficulty with the topic but keeping in mind just how well written this book was I am still happy to give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
This is an adult contemporary fiction and a pretty good example of it. Normally I would recommend this type of work to any reader who enjoys that genre but in this case I am not. This is the type of work that everyone should probably consider reading but only if they are able to handle reading about such difficult topics. I know many people who would not be able to and that is fine. If you are able to handle it I would suggest you consider it. However, I would not suggest it for younger readers because of that same warning. No one younger than about sixteen should read this, in my opinion. It is a good, if difficult, book so I hope you will consider it. If you do try it feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.