Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Alliott

Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Alliott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 400

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

From the outside, anyone would think that Lucy Palmer has it all: loving children, a dashing husband and a gorgeous home.

But when her marriage to Michael comes to an abrupt and unexpected end, her life is turned upside down in a flash.

As the truth of her marriage threatens to surface, Lucy seizes the opportunity to swap her house in London - and the stories it hides - for a rural escape to her parents' farmhouse in the Chilterns.

But Lucy gets more than she bargained for when she moves back to her childhood home, especially when it throws her into the path of an old flame.

Coming face-to-face with her mistakes, Lucy is forced to confront the secrets she's been keeping from herself and those she loves.

Is she ready to let someone in? Or will she leave the door to her past firmly closed . . .




My Review

Oooft Lucy has headed home to her parent's after her toxic marriage has ended. Her parent's are knocking about in the big farmhouse and it is clear they are having issues coping, albeit they are in absolute denial. Lucy has some healing to do, some truths to face and helping her very reluctant parents to face their own issues.

I have never read Alliott before, this was my first and it won't be my last that is for sure. The book is laced with some light relief and comedy inbetween some very hard hitting issues. Abuse (gaslighting), martial abuse, infidelity, threats, I found some of the situations Lucy found herself in or rather her response to them very frustrating. I think dependent upon your own life experiences and type of person you are you will have different reactions, empathy with her, angry/frustrated at what she endures and or how she responds.

Her parents are hilarious, very human with their antics and flaws, still enjoying their life whilst causing their daughters grey hair from worry and very blasé attitudes. They also like a drop or ten of booze and party accordingly whilst turning a blind eye to health issues. The book has a good mix of emotive, funny, shocking, horrific shows of human behavior, selfishness, selflessness - it is a very mixed bag. The characters are very different so I think readers will be able to related to some and get highly upset/annoyed at others. 4/5 for me this time, I will be checking out her back catalogue as I know I don't have any others on my tbrm. My thanks to Hanifa for bringing this author and book to my attention and putting another author on my almost collapsing tbrm lol.

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