YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT GOES ON... (Behind Closed Doors - Susan R. Sloan)

Member Name: Foxy-Lady

Product:	Behind Closed Doors - Susan R. Sloan
Date:	19/12/07 (244 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Unputdownable

Disadvantages: Upsetting

63 year old Valerie Marsh is sat in a courtroom. A crime has been committed and she's nervously awaiting the verdict that could change her life forever.

Rewind to 1955 and a tender love story begins. Valerie O'Connor has been raised in a large, close-knit Catholic family, full of love and joy. It's resulted in her leading quite a sheltered life and at 18 she is still an innocent girl and somewhat naive. She thinks that meeting the handsome Jack Marsh is the best thing that has ever happened to her as she falls deeply in love with him.

The charming 25 year old completely sweeps her off her feet and within 2 months, asks for her hand in marriage. Reluctantly, Valerie's parents agree to give their blessing, convinced by their daughter that she is doing the right thing.

Their whirlwind romance swiftly moves from engagement to wedding day...but on their wedding night, the sweet tale of first love slowly begins to take a downward spiral. To put it bluntly, Jack is a very damaged man. The result of a loveless upbringing with no mother (she died during his birth) and a father that had very little respect for women. It becomes apparent that this has reflected on Jack over the years, although this cannot be seen as an excuse, and his views on marriage are very different to Valeries.

The charm turns into dark moods in an instant, fuelled by excessive drinking. Valerie soon realises that she doesn't even know the man that she has so foolishly married. He's insensitive, thoughtless and unfaithful and when Valerie falls pregnant for the first time his behaviour worsens - he becomes violently abusive towards her.

This is ultimately what the story is about...secret domestic abuse. Behind closed doors the Marsh household is filled with anger and terror. Jack cannot stop himself from taking his fears, insecurities and frustration out on his wife and eventually his children. The frequent outbursts become a common occurance and part of everyday life for them. Yet it goes unnoticed to the outside world and to everyone else, the family represents a picture of normality. Valerie has been brought up to believe that family life should remain private and this outlook, combined with the fact that she feels that she is in some way to blame due to being a failure as a wife, stops her from speaking out. She is too proud to ask for help. The children are simply too terrified.

It's a heartbreaking subject matter for a novel, creating a shocking insight which is thought provoking and at times upsetting, particularly because children are involved. It has certainly put a few things into perspective for me this Christmas as I think about the families who will be secretly suffering.

I find it difficult to comprehend just how this kind of abuse can go on in homes everywhere...but it does. An all too familiar pattern of rage and outbursts followed by morning after remorse and guilt. I'd like to think that if I was ever in a similar situation, I would without doubt get out to protect myself and more importantly, my child. But having said that, how can we possibly know what goes through the mind of a victim. I found myself wondering how Valerie could be selfish and continue to put her children in so much danger - a strange mixture of deserved sympathy and utter depair. But then it became obvious that there is an element of co-dependency between the husband and wife, neither of them daring to break free of their unhappiness, or confront the damaging relationship. They both manage to continue a secret life of torment for 40 years. 40 YEARS!!! During which time, the storyline explores the impact that the abuse has, both physically and psychologically, on the members of the family, spanning three generations. Jack's abusive nature effects them all, with disastrous results for some of the Marsh children. The book shows just how much parents can unknowingly influence their offspring.

'Behind Closed Doors' is quite a hard hitting book. It's certainly a grim read due to the subject matter but enjoyable none the less and a page turner throughout. I'd describe it as being unputdownable as I desperately wanted Valerie to achieve happiness, justice and maybe even revenge. The author writes in a concise manner, which I feel suits the story well as the sense of simplicity almost makes it seem more realistic. There are some lovely, magical family Christmas moments and times of happiness but on the whole, the increasing abuse and its subsequent effects remains the main focus throughout. It's quite a long book but I think this is necessary to portray the development over the many years of marriage. It serves to explain and emphasize the build up of anger, pressure and resentment felt within Valerie. An inner strength works its way to the surface, leading to the events which find her sat in the courtroom, taking us back to the opening pages of the book.

During the story she is quite a closed book, keeping her thoughts to herself due to the personal isolation. In the final words of the book you finally get a glimmer of understanding...never has a smile held so much significance. I found myself smiling with her.






Published by: Time Warner International, 2006

Pages: 560

Cover price: £6.99 (I bought it for 50p from my local charity shop)

ISBN: 0-446-61630-3

Summary: A real page turner...but a disturbing subject matter!