Catherine Alliott’s novel Behind Closed Doors explores the adult life of Lucy Palmer, a writer married to Michael, a theatre critic with a very short temper. He’s also an adulterer but Lucy has created a formula of doing her own research to connect with his lovers and get to know them so they might feel guilty about having an affair with a man whose wife they have come to like.
Michael’s vicious mental abuse of Lucy and her children clouds her life … until one night she discovers him on the floor bleeding from his head after an intruder had gained access to the house. She doesn’t immediately call the police, as all the memories of the abuse thunder back at her, rendering her immobile while he dies. This constantly comes back to haunt her, especially when Michael’s psychologically-challenged sister Amanda publicly accuses her of wanting to kill him.
This also comes too close to her feelings as there was an accident in her school years when a motorcyclist ran into her car and was killed. This has haunted her all her life.
As things move forward, she decides to leave their house in London and move in with her parents, both of whom have a great tendency for drinking too much and also have serious health issues which need to be attended to. They live in Seaton in Devon and have a cottage in the garden which Lucy steps in to renovate so that she can live there.
Her sister Helena, who brokers multi-million pound contracts for a living, is against this decision, feeling that their parents should be put in a home or get registered with the AA. Her children, the elegant Imogen who is in banking, and Ned who is a vicar, also have much to say.
And suddenly, from being alone Lucy now has two men in her life – Dan, who she’s known since schooldays, and Josh who rents her house.
The police ask Lucy to come in for questioning and tell her that they have arrested the burglar. However, they also have information from Amanda, via their London colleagues, that a neighbour has implicated her as being responsible for Michael’s death. Lucy discovers that Josh lectures in criminology so she turns to him for advice as to how to handle this difficult situation.
One of the problems with this book, for me, is possibly an issue which lies with the editor. Alliott has a tendency to write long narratives and often gives descriptions in the minutest detail constantly covering Lucy’s thoughts, fears and emotions. As a voice coach for speech, proper breathing and breath control are the strongest subjects I teach. Behind Closed Doors could do with more inclusion of paragraphs in the narrations to give the reader that much-needed quick breathing space of a few seconds to assimilate what has gone before and to take the next step further.
For those who like to get immersed in a long, highly descriptive and detailed read, this is for you! There’s certainly enough content here to run a six-episode television series!
Behind Closed Doors is published by Penguin Random House UK. ISBN 978-0-241-38471-8 – Caroline Smart
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