Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Alliott

 

Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Alliott.

Published 4th March 2021 by Penguin Michael Joseph.

From the cover of the book:

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 . . .

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Lucy is a woman who seems to have it all, but appearances can be deceptive. Her husband Michael is not the perfect husband and father he seems to be, and behind closed doors living with his controlling behaviour and infidelity for the almost the entire course of their marriage has taken its toll on her and their children.

When the twisted hand of fate comes calling, Lucy is given the chance to start again, but years of living with Michael has seen her lose the confidence of her youth and she is unsure what to do. She decides to pack up her life and move from London into her elderly parents' country house to sort out their wayward ways, and find her feet at the same time - a move that brings her into the path of an old friend, who might become more if she is willing to take the plunge. But does Lucy's destiny lie here in the safety of her childhood home, or does London still offer her a chance of happiness?

This is a book which brings in some heavy themes, and Catherine Alliott explores them with a deft touch - domestic abuse and coercive control are central to Lucy's story, and we are present for some very difficult scenes here, but Alliott brings in some intriguing storylines exploring mental health, retribution, guilt, and the weight of responsibility around caring for elderly relatives too.

But along with the shade, there are plenty of flashes of light that balance the story out beautifully. There's bags of humour in these pages, very often in relation to the unruly behaviour of Lucy's aged parents and their friends that had me laughing out loud, and elements of love, tenderness, understanding, and finding an inner strength that helps you to move on that are enchanting.

The characters here are beautifully drawn and the story plays out against some lovely settings all the way to an ending that has a couple of surprises up its sleeve that made me weep! The whole story combines to produce a novel that is wonderfully heart-warming and brimming with the sense that it's never too late to take a chance and follow your heart.

Behind Closed Doors is available to buy now from your favourite book retailer.

Thank you to Sriya Varadharajan from Penguin Michael Joseph for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Catherine Alliott is the author of fifteen bestselling novels including About Last Night, My Husband Next Door, A Rural Affair, One Day in May, The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton, and Wish You Were Here. She lives with her family in Hertfordshire.