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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Fern knows that face on the news, but how? Has she ever met Astrid Sullivan? She can’t remember, but that face feels so familiar, in fact, that might be the face from her nightmares. While helping her father Ted pack up for his move to Florida, Fern starts reading the book Astrid wrote about when she was abducted and held in a basement with a red door. All the sudden Fern is feeling like this story sounds all to familiar, was she the other girl Astrid mentions in her book? Why can’t she remember?
Oh man, poor Fern had some messed up parents. Her dad ran “experiments” to test fear in his hopes of someday being known for his psychological work. He was awful from page one. This book kept me waiting to figure out when Fern’s memories would come back and what has actually happened. Who had taken Astrid, and where is she now? I did figure out who had taken Astrid as a child daily early, and I also figured out what had happened to Astrid today, but even though I had a good gut feeling, this book still kept me riveted until the last page.
Oh man, poor Fern had some messed up parents. Her dad ran “experiments” to test fear in his hopes of someday being known for his psychological work. He was awful from page one. This book kept me waiting to figure out when Fern’s memories would come back and what has actually happened. Who had taken Astrid, and where is she now? I did figure out who had taken Astrid as a child daily early, and I also figured out what had happened to Astrid today, but even though I had a good gut feeling, this book still kept me riveted until the last page.
This story had me on the edge of my seat for the whole ride! When Astrid goes missing for a second time, 20 years after her first disappearance, Fern starts to have a familiar sensation about her. She sets on her own investigstion to try to piece together the why and to figure out where Astrid may be. Megan Collins writes a suspenseful and atmospheric story. I felt as I was there with Fern the whole time.
I loved the writing, couldn’t put the book down! But, I suspected the dad the entire time and also suspected that Astrid was not kidnapped a second time after Feen met with her wife. I was hoping that I was wrong, thinking that there’ll be some huge twist but unfortunately there was not.
Behind the Red Door is a 320-page mystery novel by Megan Collins. I received an ARC from NetGalley as a recommendation based on the fact that I love Ruth Ware’s novels. If you like Ruth Ware, you might enjoy this book, too.
Although the mystery of the story is great (a decades-old kidnapping that was never solved, even though the kidnapped child was returned), my favorite thing was how well the author portrayed the main character, Fern, who suffers from anxiety. Collins not only shows the inner workings of Fern’s mind and her reactions to stressful and anxiety-inducing situations, she also peppers in bits of wisdom from Fern’s therapist. That’s completely relatable, considering that when I’m feeling particularly anxious, I also repeat mantras my therapist has told me.
Fern has a supportive husband and a prickly relationship with her parents, and those relationships are explored in depth since Fern goes back to her hometown to help her father with *a task* (spoiler). While she’s back home, Fern encounters childhood friends and bullies, and it’s fascinating to see what spikes her anxiety and how she copes with old trauma. Since she’s spending time away from her husband, she has to be her own anchor in an increasingly unsettling situation. While she deals with all of that, she also fuels her own obsession with a recurring dream and her possible connection to the decades-old kidnapping.
It’s not often that I read a mystery novel and come away with an appreciation of how much the main character grew throughout the story. This book is definitely an exception, because the character work was outstanding. Add to that an exploration of mental health and complex family dynamics… Behind the Red Door is truly fantastic and a quick, engrossing read.
Although the mystery of the story is great (a decades-old kidnapping that was never solved, even though the kidnapped child was returned), my favorite thing was how well the author portrayed the main character, Fern, who suffers from anxiety. Collins not only shows the inner workings of Fern’s mind and her reactions to stressful and anxiety-inducing situations, she also peppers in bits of wisdom from Fern’s therapist. That’s completely relatable, considering that when I’m feeling particularly anxious, I also repeat mantras my therapist has told me.
Fern has a supportive husband and a prickly relationship with her parents, and those relationships are explored in depth since Fern goes back to her hometown to help her father with *a task* (spoiler). While she’s back home, Fern encounters childhood friends and bullies, and it’s fascinating to see what spikes her anxiety and how she copes with old trauma. Since she’s spending time away from her husband, she has to be her own anchor in an increasingly unsettling situation. While she deals with all of that, she also fuels her own obsession with a recurring dream and her possible connection to the decades-old kidnapping.
It’s not often that I read a mystery novel and come away with an appreciation of how much the main character grew throughout the story. This book is definitely an exception, because the character work was outstanding. Add to that an exploration of mental health and complex family dynamics… Behind the Red Door is truly fantastic and a quick, engrossing read.
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for an advance e-galley for honest review.
Solid mystery, and I enjoyed the story, despite the fact that I kept expecting it to veer to darker places than it ever really did. Fern's dad in this story provides one of those characters who is so epically hateable- the stories of the trauma inflicted on her in the name of research were the most unique and memorable parts of the story. Slow burning, but with an intriguing plot that didn't always go the expected way.
Solid mystery, and I enjoyed the story, despite the fact that I kept expecting it to veer to darker places than it ever really did. Fern's dad in this story provides one of those characters who is so epically hateable- the stories of the trauma inflicted on her in the name of research were the most unique and memorable parts of the story. Slow burning, but with an intriguing plot that didn't always go the expected way.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a classic suspenseful, thriller-lite book. I truly enjoyed it. I think Megan Collins is a solid mystery writer who keeps you guessing. I’m sure there are people who feel they know twists all along, but I think there are enough red herrings, confusion and likely suspects it’s not an easy solve.
** content warnings**
Child abuse, emotional abuse, homophobia
——————————————————————
For me, this puts Megan Collins as an auto buy / auto borrow, and I look forward to going back and reading her debut book.
** content warnings**
Child abuse, emotional abuse, homophobia
——————————————————————
For me, this puts Megan Collins as an auto buy / auto borrow, and I look forward to going back and reading her debut book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping
Minor: Homophobia, Torture
⚠️ Trigger Warning: Psychological abuse; kidnapping; neglect; trauma; anxiety
Watching the news while eating dinner, Fern hears about the disappearance of Astrid Sullivan. A woman who was once kidnapped 20-years earlier only several towns away from her hometown. Something about Astrid is familiar to Fern but she cannot place how she might know her. Reoccurring nightmares of a young girl lead Fern to believe that they are not only nightmares, but memories. She just cannot seem to recall what the memories are from and how she might be connected to Astrid. As Fern returns home, she purchases the memoir that Astrid wrote about her kidnapping. Reading the memoir, more memories are triggered, and Fern begins to put the pieces together, albeit slowly. It seems as though a traumatic childhood event was deeply repressed due to dissociative amnesia. But what was so traumatizing that her body’s defense mechanism was to detach from it entirely? And can Fern regain her memories so she can save Astrid now or will Fern be the next to disappear?
Behind the Red Door had me on the edge of my seat. Tense scenes, psychological abuse, and a twisted family dynamic that depicted an abnormal upbringing. Right away Fern refers to her parents by their first name which is the first indication that her childhood was anything but normal. Add in her father’s fear “experiments” for his research and her parents overall neglect and carelessness, you have yourself an unable home. While the book was predictable, I still found myself enthralled with the story and its suspense. It’s a disturbing version of the classic “whodunnit” with an unreliable narrator and I simply couldn’t put it down. I was anxious right alongside Fern. I have yet to read The Winter Sister but you can bet I will be grabbing myself a copy now that I’m out of the Briarley’s dark and disturbing world.
Thank you @AtriaBooks {#partner} for gifting me with a finished copy of Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins in exchange for an independent and honest review. This book is scheduled to be released next Tuesday, 08/04/2020 so get your preorders in now!
Watching the news while eating dinner, Fern hears about the disappearance of Astrid Sullivan. A woman who was once kidnapped 20-years earlier only several towns away from her hometown. Something about Astrid is familiar to Fern but she cannot place how she might know her. Reoccurring nightmares of a young girl lead Fern to believe that they are not only nightmares, but memories. She just cannot seem to recall what the memories are from and how she might be connected to Astrid. As Fern returns home, she purchases the memoir that Astrid wrote about her kidnapping. Reading the memoir, more memories are triggered, and Fern begins to put the pieces together, albeit slowly. It seems as though a traumatic childhood event was deeply repressed due to dissociative amnesia. But what was so traumatizing that her body’s defense mechanism was to detach from it entirely? And can Fern regain her memories so she can save Astrid now or will Fern be the next to disappear?
Behind the Red Door had me on the edge of my seat. Tense scenes, psychological abuse, and a twisted family dynamic that depicted an abnormal upbringing. Right away Fern refers to her parents by their first name which is the first indication that her childhood was anything but normal. Add in her father’s fear “experiments” for his research and her parents overall neglect and carelessness, you have yourself an unable home. While the book was predictable, I still found myself enthralled with the story and its suspense. It’s a disturbing version of the classic “whodunnit” with an unreliable narrator and I simply couldn’t put it down. I was anxious right alongside Fern. I have yet to read The Winter Sister but you can bet I will be grabbing myself a copy now that I’m out of the Briarley’s dark and disturbing world.
Thank you @AtriaBooks {#partner} for gifting me with a finished copy of Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins in exchange for an independent and honest review. This book is scheduled to be released next Tuesday, 08/04/2020 so get your preorders in now!