Customer Reviews

Behind Closed Doors (Sloan, Susan R.)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1955, while visiting her sister in Boston, Valerie O'Connor met and fell in love with Jack Marsh, the friend of her brother in law's brother. They saw each other every day until she returned home to her parents in Portland; Jack followed. Shortly there after he asked her parents for their permission to marry Valerie and although they had some doubts about the man's character, they gave their blessing.

Their wedding night was a disaster as Jack was only interested in satisfying his needs and as a result, Valerie had a lifelong revulsion to sex. She did her duty and was thrilled when she birthed five children before she was told she could not have anymore due to health reasons. As the years passed, Jack became increasingly abusive, hitting not only her but also their children. When they were of age, their kids left. One became a nun; another turned to prostitution; two went to jail; and the last a raged Jack threw off the roof when he was in an uncontrollable rage. The anger that Valerie tried to keep in check for years finally explodes and results in a tragedy that could cost her freedom.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS is a mesmerizing work of psychological suspense that examines in depth the impact of a violent drunken abuser and a woman who accepts what her husband dished out. The story line shows the co-dependency between the abuser and abused so that Valerie does not garner much sympathy especially when she is incapable of protecting their children. Susan R. Sloan has written a memorable book that is not pretty or nice but accurately represents one of society's worst social problems.

Harriet Klausner

My only problem with Susan Sloan's books is that there is too much time between them. But maybe that's what makes them so good -- she takes the time to do it right. Behind Closed Doors is no exception. Gripping from page one to page 467, it's the story of three generations of an American family caught in a cycle they don't know how to break. As with all Sloan's books, the characters get right up off the pages and into your head. You know them. They're real. They could be living right next door to you.

Domestic abuse isn't a subject that people are very comfortable with, but Sloan brings it right in your front door. I have so much admiration for her, as an author, that she is willing to take on the issues that aren't very comfortable for so many of us. This book should ring bells in a lot of households around the country. And maybe, in some of them, it might even make a difference. I hope so.

Congratulations, Susan, on another winner. And thank you!

A shattering act of violence is the breaking point for a woman who has suffered abuse all her life.

Valerie O'Conner met Jack Marsh when she was eighteen and instantly she knew he would be the man she married. Jack, a veteran of the Air Force, promises undying love and a lifetime of happiness to Valerie, the woman who stole his heart.

Against her father's wishes, Valerie marries Jack and starts a family, but within a few years all that was good turns bad...

Jack begins drinking and in drunken rages he takes out his frustrations on his wife. Before long, Jack begins using his entire family as a punching bag until a devastating act tears his family apart.

With most of the Marsh family forced to move out because of their hatred for their father, Valerie is left alone with Jack, but only after threatening to leave him. Jack, afraid of being alone, swears to change, and seemingly does until he begins several extramarital affairs. Valerie, still denying there is anything wrong with her marriage, is faced with another challenge...raising her grandson.

After many years of abuse, both physical and emotional, Valerie finds herself a broken woman fighting for her life when a night of violence leaves someone dead.


`Behind Closed Doors' is a powerful tale of a marriage plagued by violence. However, the story did trace too much of the Marsh family's life and much of the novel was not needed. Susan Sloan has written several excellent books and even though her newest novel is enjoyable it's not as good as her previous three.

Nick Gonnella

I think this book has gotten some mixed reviews because people have a hard time understanding the subject matter.

One reviewer wrote The book is depressing and the main character unbelievable .... I can see how it would be depressing, due to what the book is based on. But the main character, in my opinion, was very believable. The abuse statistics are devestating, and they'd be much higher if everyone reported what happened to them behind closed doors.

While I did think Sloan focused a bit too much on Ricky & strayed away from the two main characters a bit too much, I enjoyed the book. I thought it was an honest look at what happens all too often for some families.

I love all of Susan Sloan's books, and this was no exception. I was surprised at the mixed reviews, but do agree with another reviewers opinion that perhaps the subject matter made it seem depressing to some readers. Once again the characters came alive off the page and I was totally absorbed in their drama, this one keeps the reader glued to the pages so don't pick it up if you've got things that need getting done! Valerie is a character I'll think about for some time to come, and I have to say that the ending pleased me very much, bravo Susan Sloan, another great read, looking forward to the next one!

Another Winner

The problem with Susan Sloan is that too much time lapses between novels and that they can be read too swiftly. Sloan generally does not write page turners, but her characters continue to grow as the pages turn.

Each of Sloan's novels takes as her subject a real circumstances which has appeared on the front pages and explores it in the context of the broad issues it raises for society. Her characters are three dimensional and reflective of people her readers know and can identify with, even if they don't always know what goes on behind their neighbor's closed doors or in the recess of their minds. I would not rate "Behind Closed Doors" as powerful as her first novel, "Guilt By Association," but than I do not know of any novel which is as powerful or as good as "Guilt." But with the exception of "Guilt by Association," it is as good as any novel I've read.

This was my first book of Susan's that I have read. I loved it! I was not bored at all. I did not think it was over long either. It was sad because Valerie didn't (Spoiler!!)...but in life that happens.

I will now read the other books written by Susan. Also, being familiar with Rutland and the Seattle area was nice. Who has ever heard of Rutland, VT? Me. Hope Susan's previous books are as good as this one.

Having read all of Susan Sloan's previous novels, I was looking forward to this one. What a disappointment. The book is depressing and the main character unbelievable. With the author's previous novels, I couldn't hardly wait till the next chapter. This book is boring. I found myself skimming over pages just to get through it. If you've never read Susan Sloan, skip this one and read one of her others.

I'm still reading this book, but so far it is good. The book itself was in great condition. Domestic Violence is of interest to me because it affects so many and so many suffer in silence. I lost a close family member to domestic violence. Some aspects of the main character is typical of an abused woman. So, it's very good so far.

This was my first time reading a book by Susan R. Sloan, and will probably be my last. My favorite part of reading is the character development, where the character becomes someone you care about so you feel drawn back to the book to see whats going to happen, but 'Behind Closed Doors' didn't do that for me. Yes, I was interested in seeing where everyone's lives went but I could have easily just put the book down, and not have returned.

In their 60+ years of marriage Valerie and Jack had five children and three out of the five left the Marsh home to escape their abusive father. However, once they left the house you didn't read about them again, until almost the last pages of the book. Sloan did however develop the character of Ricky--the youngest son of Valerie and Jack. But I guess the question is why just him? Yes, he had a difficult childhood, which lead him to be rebellious in his adolescence, but for me I would have liked to have seen that much effort put into the other children as well. Instead Sloan ties their story lines off in a few short sentences closer to end of the novel, which was disappointing.

So what did I enjoy about 'Behind Closed Doors'? Not much I guess, I did enjoy how Sloan started the book out at present day, and then went back to the Fifties when Jack and Valerie meet and followed them from there. But other than that this book left more to be desired.