Behind Closed Doors

Genre: Fiction

I gave this book ***

This is the story about a British woman named Grace. She meets Jack, a well-known lawyer for survivors of domestic abuse, in a park where Grace goes regularly with her developmentally delayed sister, Millie. Jack shows them both great kindness and Grace falls in love. They marry shortly after. The sisters’ parents leave Millie in Grace’s custody and move to Australia. The story begins with Grace and Jack hosting friends for a dinner party and Grace describing the tremendous pressure she is under to make sure everything goes perfectly and is very timid about discussing her personal life with her guests. The story is told through Grace’s point of view and alternates between present time and the past when she and Jack first meet. Slowly we learn the truth about the nature of Grace and Jack’s real relationship and the nature of her seeming shyness.

So, did you get that this is a mystery? It’s supposed to be and it is, for the first half of the book. I couldn’t wait to find out what happens. But, once I got through the first half, the story becomes predictable and nothing new or surprising. But, it was entertaining enough and worth the sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat anticipation in the beginning.