Behind Closed Doors [Hardcover]

Susan R. Sloan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sloan, Susan R. | Publication Date: August 25, 2004

Raised in a large, loving Irish Catholic family, Valerie O'Connor is a sheltered and innocent young woman who comes of age in the 1950s. When, at age 18, she meets and falls deeply in love with Jack Marsh, a dashing veteran of the Air Force, little does she know that she is about to begin a relationship that is doomed from the start. Their many years of marriage are filled with Jack's drunken rages followed by morning-after remorse, and scenes of escalating violence witnessed by children too terrified to speak out lest they become Jack's next victims. A powerful story of a marriage begun with the best intentions but cursed by a legacy of violence that will have shocking consequences.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The final retribution of a battered wife is a familiar trope, to which Sloan (Guilt by Association; Act of God) brings an eye for detail: in this bulky novel, she gives a blow-by-blow account of how a woman comes to marry an abuser, how a man turns into an abuser, and how both manage to keep the violence a secret for some 40 years. At 18, smalltown Vermonter Valerie O'Connor marries gorgeous, macho airplane mechanic Jack Marsh and moves with him to Seattle, then California, where she pursues her dream of raising a large family and he pursues other women. As disappointment turns to anger and need to rage, Jack turns to drink. Valerie bears the brunt of his outbursts—though her children do not escape unscathed— but she fails to act until Jack's fury focuses on his grandson. Sloan's victim revenge novels draw power from the methodical (some might say relentless) way she guides the reader incident by incident, misstep by misstep, through the lives of her characters. Witnessing intimate moments in the newlyweds' bed, or the drug-addled thoughts of a grieving mother, the reader knows what Valerie must do long before she does. If Sloan favors thematic development over language and spontaneity, she makes up for it with her compelling portrait of a troubled family.
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Review

"You won't be able to turn the pages fast enough." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (August 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446530298
• ISBN-13: 978-0446530293
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.5 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #406,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars mesmerizing but chilling psychological suspense, August 25, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind Closed Doors (Hardcover)

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

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the wait!, August 31, 2004

By 

Avidreader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind Closed Doors (Hardcover)

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!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good, but overlong novel., September 10, 2004

By 

Nick G - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind Closed Doors (Hardcover)

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