Believe it or not fellow thriller readers, this is my very first time reading a B.A. Paris novel. I’m contrite, as I’ve let this title linger on my Edelweiss shelves for ages. My apologies to the author and the publisher.
In short, I loved it! Not at all what I was expecting, it turned out to be an in-depth character study of two spouses who are very happily married, but have other baggage weighing down their psyches.
It is VERY difficult to review as even the briefest insight into the plot tends towards spoiler territory. But, I’ll give it my very best shot.
Livia is turning forty years old and she is looking forward to a grand party to mark the occasion. It is a party that she has always wanted, as, shunned by her parents for marrying young and pregnant, she never had a wedding party. Livia’s husband, Adam, adores his wife and wants nothing to mar her special day.
At first, I felt dislike for Livia, as her obsession with her grand party seemed very self-centered, and might I say, quite immature. After reading several chapters though, I gradually came to like her more and understand her. This novel has had widely divergent reactions by readers – those who liked it, really liked it, whilst others dismissed it as shallow.
The couple have two teenage children. Marnie who is attending university abroad in Hong Kong, and Josh who has just finished school and has plans to attend a university in America in the near future. As a surprise for her mother, Marnie and her father plan for her to fly halfway round the world to come home for Livia’s party. Adam gets a big box, which he plans to have Marnie jump out of.
Livia, however, does not really want Marnie to attend. She doesn’t want to face her daughter right now, as she has learned that Marnie is having an affair with one of her father’s good friends, a man two decades her senior. She knows that when she sees Marnie again, the affair will have to come out, and Adam will be devastated, both for his daughter and by the betrayal of his friend. Livia can think of little else, knowing that when revealed, it will spoil their family dynamic, which mars both her anticipation of her party and the party itself.
Adam, meanwhile, is waiting to hear that he is to pick up his daughter from the airport, when he learns that there has been a tragic airplane crash, with no survivors. Adam is not sure that Marnie was on ‘that’ plane, but he fears the worst when he cannot get in touch with her. Adam is filled with gnawing dread, but perseveres with the party so as to make his wife’s birthday special. Every minute that passes without word – is anguish.
As the title hints at, there are many different dilemmas within the suspenseful plot. Moral dilemmas and ethical dilemmas, which provoked its thought-provoking storyline. This is a story of miscommunication, of how sometimes the very best of intentions can backfire, and of trying to spare those you love from the harsher realities of life.
In all, I found this to be a compelling family drama that I thoroughly enjoyed.
This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from St. Martin’s Press via Edelweiss. Chipping away at my Edelweiss backlist one title at a time…
ISBN: 9781250151360 ASIN: B07X15T83T 313 pages
Bernadette Anne MacDougall, better known by her pen name B. A. Paris, is a British writer of fiction, mainly in the psychological thriller subgenre. Her debut novel, Behind Closed Doors (2016), was a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. It has been translated into 40 languages and sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.
Her other books include The Breakdown (2017), Bring Me Back (2018), The Dilemma (2019), and The Therapist (2021).
Paris was born in Surrey to a French mother and Irish father. She is the third of 6 children, including 4 brothers and a sister. After completing her education, she moved to France, where she worked as a trader in an international bank in Paris for several years. During this time, she met her husband Calum, with whom she now has 5 daughters. They eventually left the world of finance to set up a language school together.
Only after turning 50 did Paris begin writing, when one of her daughters suggested she enter a writing competition advertised in a magazine. While she did not win, this led her to write her first novels, including her internationally bestselling debut Behind Closed Doors.
Paris now lives in Hampshire, England, with her family.
Connect with B.A. Paris via her website; Instagram; and/or Facebook.
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