READ THIS IF…
- You want an okay psychological thriller involving a married couple (don’t expect Gone Girl levels)
DON’T READ IF…
- You’re a loving pet owner
- You have low tolerance for torture
QUICK AND TAMAD SUMMARY
It’s about Jack and Grace na seen by their social circles as the perfect couple. Pero ang suspicious ng pagka-perfect nila kasi magtataka ka bakit walang sariling cellphone si Grace, nung hiningan sya ng e-mail address binigay nya yung e-mail address ni Jack, at laging hindi sumisipot si Grace sa lunch invites ng mga amiga nya and kung makakasipot man sya, kabuntot nya lagi si Jack. So medyo given na dito na si Jack yung psychopath. Kaya ang tagline nung book is, “The perfect marriage? Or the perfect lie?”
As a fan of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, nung nabasa at napanood ko yung movie na yon, at ma-inlove sa protrayal ni Rosamund Pike, on the lookout ako lagi for books na may similar elements. So pagkabasa ko pa lang ng synopsis nitong Behind Closed Doors, na-intriga na ko agad. May isa pa kong nabasa last year na belong sa ganitong genre which is yung The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena.
Ang bilis ko ‘to nabasa, natapos ko sya in 2 days. Ang hirap nya kasing tigilan kasi gusto ko nang malaman kung anong mangyayari sa huli and kung ma-iimplicate ba si psychopath. And yung initial thinking ko after reading the first few pages is, bakit nakikisakay si Grace sa perfect couple act nila? Anong hold ni Jack sa kanya?
Yung format nga pala nung book is alternating between the present and the past. Nung gitna ng book, di na ko masyadong interested dun sa ‘Past’ chapters.
START OF SPOILERS
So yung constant feeling ko when reading the book is feelings of hopefulness para kay Grace na sana maka-isip sya ng clever plan to outwit Jack. And feelings of rage kasi sobrang evil ni Jack plus the fact na lawyer sya specializing in battered women’s cases. Grr. Sobrang nakakabadtrip din yung ginawa dun sa aso. After a few hours of finishing the book, hindi pa rin ako maka-move on dun sa nangyari sa poor doggie.
At ang unrealistic nung ibang pangyayari. Nasa isip ko, wala na ba talagang ibang way? Feeling ko kasi pwede nyang gawin nung lumabas sila for lunch, hiramin nya yung phone ni Esther and tumawag sya sa 999 (UK’s version of 991). For sure ang weird na pigilan sya ni Jack in front of everyone for making a simple phone call so walang magagawa si Jack kasi magigi syang suspicious. Tapos pagdating nung mga pulis, i-reveal nya yung setup ng bahay nila. Siguro naman may enough evidence dun para ma-prove na kinukulong sya plus ipakita din nya yung basement na may horrific paintings. Plus i-prove nya na hindi talaga sya nagkaron ng miscarriage as claimed by Jack. Ayun. Feeling ko may simpler way.
And as much as nakakagalit yung antagonist, ang one-dimensional nya masyado. Parang hindi ganun ka-creative yung pagkaka-create nung character nya. Siguro sa lahat ng characters, si Esther yung pinaka-okay.
RATING [2 🌟]
Ang strong nung start pero hindi ako nabilib dun sa middle and end. Ang underwhelming for me. Agree ako dun sa isang Goodreads reviewer nung sinabi nya na the ending is “too neat”. And yun nga hindi sya realistic. Hindi ako na-impress.
Yung nitpick ko is everytime babanggitin si George Clooney. Nakakasira sya sa reading experience. Hindi rin ako fan nung pagkakasulat.
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Gleniz Da Menace 