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punkgremlin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
belinda_frisch's review against another edition
4.0
Behind the Red Door sets an immediate hook. Atmospheric, tense, and a master class in character development, the mystery surrounding Astrid Sullivan’s disappearance is as well-written as it is compelling.
Fern Douglas has returned home at the behest of her father, Ted, to help him pack for a relocation to FL in the wake of an impending separation from her mother. Fern, who grew up constantly seeking her father’s approval, leaps at the request for help. Flattered that her father, Ted, with whom she has an unconventional relationship, says he “needs” her.
Once home, a story surfaces about the re-disappearance of Astrid Sullivan, a recent memoirist who has chronicled her childhood abduction in a now bestselling book. Fern can’t help feeling like she was part of the original ordeal, if not a witness to it, and dives in to help unravel the mystery in a then and now story that unfolds neatly. Astrid appears to have been taken by the same, untraceable captor as held her before, only who was it? Where is she now? And had she been taken alone?
To say more would give away things best left discovered by the reader, but trust me when I say, you will want to know what happened. Even if some of it appears obvious, the author has a definite knack for stopping and starting chapters at the exact right points to keep the reader turning the page.
I have a bit of fatigue where unreliable narrators are concerned. Folks with repressed memories. Mysteries that hinge on the obvious. Somehow, Megan Collins has managed to use familiar tropes, but to create such unique characters that I almost (reason for four instead of five stars) didn’t notice. A father whose primary interaction with his daughter is to study her responses to fear? That’s a new one on me, and a great job was done fleshing out folks that live and breathe on the page—despite, and maybe because of, their eccentricities. A compelling story from beginning to end, Behind the Red Door is an enjoyable, recommended read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.
Fern Douglas has returned home at the behest of her father, Ted, to help him pack for a relocation to FL in the wake of an impending separation from her mother. Fern, who grew up constantly seeking her father’s approval, leaps at the request for help. Flattered that her father, Ted, with whom she has an unconventional relationship, says he “needs” her.
Once home, a story surfaces about the re-disappearance of Astrid Sullivan, a recent memoirist who has chronicled her childhood abduction in a now bestselling book. Fern can’t help feeling like she was part of the original ordeal, if not a witness to it, and dives in to help unravel the mystery in a then and now story that unfolds neatly. Astrid appears to have been taken by the same, untraceable captor as held her before, only who was it? Where is she now? And had she been taken alone?
To say more would give away things best left discovered by the reader, but trust me when I say, you will want to know what happened. Even if some of it appears obvious, the author has a definite knack for stopping and starting chapters at the exact right points to keep the reader turning the page.
I have a bit of fatigue where unreliable narrators are concerned. Folks with repressed memories. Mysteries that hinge on the obvious. Somehow, Megan Collins has managed to use familiar tropes, but to create such unique characters that I almost (reason for four instead of five stars) didn’t notice. A father whose primary interaction with his daughter is to study her responses to fear? That’s a new one on me, and a great job was done fleshing out folks that live and breathe on the page—despite, and maybe because of, their eccentricities. A compelling story from beginning to end, Behind the Red Door is an enjoyable, recommended read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.
thisbookishcat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
If you have an axiety disorder this book will probably be difficult to me because oh my gosh does the author NAIL anxious thought-spirals and tendancies to the point that it triggered mine.
Throughout the whole book I had so many theories and opinions, turns out I was wrong about all of them, but I'm okay with that because it really felt like I as the reader was in line with Fern as she was going through it and getting her memories back.
That said I need to know if Ted got his because FUCK that guy and his sad excuse of being a parent .
Throughout the whole book I had so many theories and opinions, turns out I was wrong about all of them, but I'm okay with that because it really felt like I as the reader was in line with Fern as she was going through it and getting her memories back.
That said
alexgardner's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
3.25
lifeanista's review against another edition
5.0
What a wild ride! I thoroughly enjoyed reading every single page of this book. As soon as you thought you'd figure something out, an unexpected turn popped up. It was truly very thrilling. One of my favorite books I've read this year (out of nearly thirty).
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Infertility
laelyn's review against another edition
3.0
"Hinter der roten Tür" war für mich eines der Bücher, für die ich ausschließlich aufgrund des interessanten Klappentextes entschieden habe - ich kannte die Autorin zuvor nicht und habe auch nichts über sie gehört. Daher war ich besonders gespannt auf diesen Thriller, da es kaum etwas aufregenderes gibt, als neue Autor*innen zu entdecken. Und ich wurde im Großen und Ganzen nicht enttäuscht.
"Hinter der roten Tür" ist ein relativ klassischer Thriller, der mit einer unzuverlässigen Erzählerin und zwei Zeitebenen spielt. Zum einen ist da die mysteriöse Entführung von Astrid Sullivan vor zwanzig Jahren, die bis heute nicht aufgeklärt wurde. Zum anderen ist da das erneute Verschwinden eben derselben Astrid Sullivan in der Gegenwart, das Spekulationen anheizt bezüglich des nie gefassten Entführers von damals. Unsere Protagonistin Fern ist irgendwie in all das verwickelt, zumindest ist sie sich ganz sicher, dass sie etwas mit Astrid verbindet - nur was das ist, daran kann sie sich einfach nicht erinnern.
Die Prämisse ist nicht neu, aber spannend und kurzweilig. Der Schreibstil und die Übersetzung sind angenehm und machen das Buch zu einem Page-Turner, den man aufgrund seiner Kürze auch schnell gelesen hat. Die zentralen Themen von Kindheitstraumata und Angst werden intensiv und düster erarbeitet, und diese Art von geschichte habe ich bisher auch noch nicht gelesen.
Die Spannung wird aufrecht erhalten, auch wenn das Buch eine große Schwäche hat: Es ist wirklich sehr, sehr vorhersehbar. Die Auflösung sowohl des damaligen als auch des gegenwärtigen Verschwindens von Astrid wird jedem Leser sehr schnell klar sein. Ich war ehrlich gesagt ein wenig enttäuscht, dass beide meiner Theorien am Ende zutrafen - ich hatte gehofft, dass diese Auflösungen schlichtweg zu eindeutig sind und am Ende ein Plot Twist wartet, der meiner Erwartungen noch einmal auf den Kopf stellt. Dem ist leider nicht so.
Auch Fern als Protagonistin ist an sich interessant und sympathisch, aber vor allem in den späteren Kapiteln sind ihre Passivität und Naivität trotz aller Traumata, die sie erleiden musste, nur noch frustrierend und wirken nicht mehr realistisch.
Trotz dieser Schwächen ist "Hinter der roten Tür" ein solider Thriller, der kurzweilig unterhält, auch wenn er nicht viel Neues bietet.
"Hinter der roten Tür" ist ein relativ klassischer Thriller, der mit einer unzuverlässigen Erzählerin und zwei Zeitebenen spielt. Zum einen ist da die mysteriöse Entführung von Astrid Sullivan vor zwanzig Jahren, die bis heute nicht aufgeklärt wurde. Zum anderen ist da das erneute Verschwinden eben derselben Astrid Sullivan in der Gegenwart, das Spekulationen anheizt bezüglich des nie gefassten Entführers von damals. Unsere Protagonistin Fern ist irgendwie in all das verwickelt, zumindest ist sie sich ganz sicher, dass sie etwas mit Astrid verbindet - nur was das ist, daran kann sie sich einfach nicht erinnern.
Die Prämisse ist nicht neu, aber spannend und kurzweilig. Der Schreibstil und die Übersetzung sind angenehm und machen das Buch zu einem Page-Turner, den man aufgrund seiner Kürze auch schnell gelesen hat. Die zentralen Themen von Kindheitstraumata und Angst werden intensiv und düster erarbeitet, und diese Art von geschichte habe ich bisher auch noch nicht gelesen.
Die Spannung wird aufrecht erhalten, auch wenn das Buch eine große Schwäche hat: Es ist wirklich sehr, sehr vorhersehbar. Die Auflösung sowohl des damaligen als auch des gegenwärtigen Verschwindens von Astrid wird jedem Leser sehr schnell klar sein. Ich war ehrlich gesagt ein wenig enttäuscht, dass beide meiner Theorien am Ende zutrafen - ich hatte gehofft, dass diese Auflösungen schlichtweg zu eindeutig sind und am Ende ein Plot Twist wartet, der meiner Erwartungen noch einmal auf den Kopf stellt. Dem ist leider nicht so.
Auch Fern als Protagonistin ist an sich interessant und sympathisch, aber vor allem in den späteren Kapiteln sind ihre Passivität und Naivität trotz aller Traumata, die sie erleiden musste, nur noch frustrierend und wirken nicht mehr realistisch.
Trotz dieser Schwächen ist "Hinter der roten Tür" ein solider Thriller, der kurzweilig unterhält, auch wenn er nicht viel Neues bietet.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
4.0
"Behind the Red Door" is very creepy, and I'm going to have to be careful so as to not plant spoilers. Let's just say that this dysfunctional family raises the bar for those of the future, and narrator Fern, as well as being irritating, is extraordinarily unreliable. She's a school counselor with an anxiety disorder, and during summer break she heads home to New Hampshire to help her father--a psychologist whose work is on fear--pack up his house fo move to Florida. Her physician husband doesn't want her to go because her father would practice his theories on her as a child.
When Fern gets to the small town she grew up in she discovers that Astrid, a girl who was kidnapped and recovered twenty years before, has disappeared again. This triggers repressed memories--was Fern there? Did she know Astrid? Did her parents play a part? Time for Fern to start spiraling as she tries to figure this all out and find Astrid, and give herself some peace.
This is a good psychological thriller, and as deluded and spinny as Fern seems, she's on to something very weird. The end is surprising. You won't be disappointed.
Thanks to Netgalley for the digital review copy in return for an honest review.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
When Fern gets to the small town she grew up in she discovers that Astrid, a girl who was kidnapped and recovered twenty years before, has disappeared again. This triggers repressed memories--was Fern there? Did she know Astrid? Did her parents play a part? Time for Fern to start spiraling as she tries to figure this all out and find Astrid, and give herself some peace.
This is a good psychological thriller, and as deluded and spinny as Fern seems, she's on to something very weird. The end is surprising. You won't be disappointed.
Thanks to Netgalley for the digital review copy in return for an honest review.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader