Behind Closed Doors

[Mary Pat]

This thread is to discuss B.A. Paris‘s book, Behind Closed Doors.


***Please remember to mark spoilers.***

Participants: Joan, Allie, Ana

[Mary Pat]

Suggested break down of reading so that you can check in and let us know how you're doing. The following breakdown is purely a suggestion and is therefore not set in stone.

Rather than putting dates for each section I've done it so that it takes into account that not everybody will necessarily have the book at the same time.

Week 1: 73
Week 2: 73
Week 3: 73
Week 4: 73

[Joan]

I've read the first 2 and a half chapters. It is written a little differently. It has drawn me in a little bit. It seems like everything thinks she has a perfect life and it is setting us up to see what is not perfect about it. It seems like it will be an interesting read. Have you started it yet Allie?

[Allie]

Sorry, Joan! I just got the book from my library and will be starting today. It’s gonna be super hot out so I’ll be sitting in front of the a/c all day long!

[Joan]

I've only read 5 chapters so far but it gets you hooked. If I didn't have to work today I'd be reading more!! There are definitely some secrets going on that need to be uncovered.

[Allie]

You definitely get hooked, I’m already up to page 185!

At first I had doubts....from grace’s anxiety within the first few pages, we know there’s certainly something going on. But I had doubts (especially since reading Gone Girl) that maybe she was an unreliable narrator and there was more to the story or a completely different side of the story from Jack’s perspective.

But nope, now I definitely think he’s a psychopath. I hope that doesn’t change with some wild ending that she’s been making it up this whole time. Everything is a little too neat though....


I’ll wait for you to catch up some more. I have another book I can finish up.

[Joan]

Wow so dude is a little crazy. I'm up to page 123.

[Allie]

Ya think?! Lol.

[Allie]

Have you finished yet, Joan?

[Joan]

Allie wrote: "Have you finished yet, Joan?"

I just finished today. (view spoiler)[ I wasn't impressed with the ending. I don't think she would have completely got away with it. (hide spoiler)]

What did you think of it?

[Allie]

I wasn’t either. There wasn’t enough lead up to (view spoiler)[her being this meek, go-with-the-flow, but supposedly smart gal (who just says “ok!” to their future partner when they tell (TELL not ask) that they’re going to drop their whole life style when they’re married. You don’t bat an eye when he tells you to quit your job and only wants you to himself once you’re married?! There’s not SOME discussion on that?!) to this woman that is going to do whatever’s necessary to get out of the dire situation she’s in. I just didn’t buy it. Her personality was never strong enough. I never felt the fight in her.

Esther’s part I did buy into. She kind of seemed like she had her suspicions all the way thru the story. The other friend was as dumb as doornails but Esther knew something was amiss. You never see your friend outside the house?! And then the one date she keeps the husband just happens to tag along and won’t let her out of his sight? Not even when she needs to go to the bathroom? They went to the same restaurants, no one sees him constantly “escorting” her to the women’s bathroom?! Esther couldn’t possibly be the only dumb one in the whole book, it was all a little too neat for me. He could plan trips out to a tee, Something was bound to happen and then never did, it always went a little “too right” for him and that’s highly unbelievable.

And the police seemed a little dumb to me as well. She was a painter. All her friends knew that. I kept thinking about the paintings and her fingerprints being everywhere. She should have had some explaining to do at some point. I mean, he supposedly had the cops in his hand and yet, when he died, it was all “yup, clearly a suicide”....uh, no.


But yet, I flew thru the book. It was very easy to read. A solid three stars, which in my ratings book just means “good/liked it enough”. I wouldn’t jump at the chance of recommending this book to anyone though. (hide spoiler)]

[Joan]

You summed up how I pretty much felt. (view spoiler)[ I thought about the paintings having her fingerprints all over them as well. They were only married a year though so the part about others not seeing them out of the house wasn't as weird to me but I'm sure they would notice that he was overbearing.

I also wondered about Millie staying quiet about the whole situation. I would think at some point she would have told someone that he had hurt her on the wedding day. I did like the fact that she saved up the sleeping pills for Grace. I would think though that the police would look for the container of the sleeping pills in the house. It would be a little weird if there was no container thrown out in the trash.

Jack was definitely a good character to hate and be afraid of though. That part of it was definitely creepy.

I did like Esther's character. I wish she was in the book a little bit more or had more of a hand in the escape. That might be a little more believable for an ending.

I did read it fast and it was an easy read and it kept me interested as to what was going to happen. I just didn't like the way it was tied together at the end. I think it needed an epilogue as well. (hide spoiler)]

[Anabella]

I just started but Im definitely interested to see where the story goes. I hope to read more tonight after work. :).

[Allie]

Joan wrote: "You summed up how I pretty much felt. I thought about the paintings having her fingerprints all over them as well. They were only married a year though so the part about others not seeing them out..."

(view spoiler)[You make an excellent point about the pill bottle, yes!!!! See, that ending just makes everyone look so stupid.

Completely agree about wanting more of Esther’s involvement. That would have made the ending slightly more believable. She was the only character I felt had “real” feelings/observations. Do you suspect she was really the one who shaded letters in the book? Or do you side with Grace in thinking Jack did that to taunt her?

I’m not sure which one did it to be honest. The whole book is pretty stupid...and yet, it keeps you reading. Very interesting that.

I agree, it might have benefitted from an epilogue. But I did like how it ended on the “red room” note. (hide spoiler)]

[Allie]

Ana wrote: "I just started but Im definitely interested to see where the story goes. I hope to read more tonight after work. :)."

As long as you have the time, you’ll fly thru it!!

[Anabella]

i'm off for the next two days now besides keeping my nephew so I think i will get to read :)

[Joan]

Allie - (view spoiler)[ I go back and forth about the shading in the book. It would have been nice to have closure on that. Since Esther took the time to drive it out there you would think she did that because she was trying to get a message through to Grace. On the other hand it took Jack awhile to bring the book up to Grace so he had time to shade it in.

I agree Grace gave her life up too easy. It probably didn't strike me so odd reading it because I wouldn't mind quitting my job right now! Ha Ha! I also agree about the outings and how Jack thought about completely everything but then I think about those people that have been kidnapped like that and they live like that for years. If I think of it that way it becomes more plausible. (hide spoiler)]

[Anabella]

I'm only a little ways in and i already don't like this husband.