Miriam Halahmy

The premise for this story is fascinating, but I felt that the execution did not quite do justice to it. I have read many children's books set in WWII, and this one failed to make the grade for me. My principal complaints are related to dialogue and plot pacing. I feel that tension was lacking and could have been built up more skillfully, and that the interaction between the characters did not seem very realistic. I know that the content represents a different era, but some of the speech felt positively cringeworthy. Overall, it is still a good book with a healthy message, but it was not as compelling as When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle, which explores a similar topic.… (mehr)

Read for work for ROYAL.

Behind Closed Doors tells the story of two teenage girls, Josie and Tasha, who come from very different lives but come together on one fateful stormy night and learn that they aren’t so different after all. Together they forge an understanding and form a friendship that allows them to brave familial issues concerning their mothers and drama at home.

Josie’s mother is a hoarder who cares about her ever expanding collection more than anyone and anything else. Her obsession leads her to lose her job, while her spending clutters their home to the point of limited mobility and makes it very difficult for her to care for Josie, and provide her with basic necessities like food and school clothes.

Tasha comes from a very different home environment. Her mother is well off and often plies Tasha with money for shopping and new things. It quickly becomes clear, however, that this is a cover for her own selfishness and need for a man. She brings home boyfriend after boyfriend, all worse than the last. When she begins dating Chaz, Tasha thinks things are going to be different. He’s younger, and much kinder to her mother than the men she’s dated in the past. Everything seems great until Chaz starts leering and coming on to Tasha, attempting multiple times to come into her room late at night.

One of the aspects of the novel I really enjoyed was the friendship between Josie and Tasha. When they began to see similarities in regards to their selfish mothers, a friendship bloomed and they started working together to solve their problems. A lot of YA fiction often pits young girls against each other, so it was very refreshing getting to see the opposite.

Unfortunately for every one thing I did enjoy in the novel, it seemed like there were two things I didn’t like. One of the novel’s downfalls was its melodramatic plot points that seemed in some cases unnecessary and took away from some of the bigger issues that could have been explored more, i.e. the hoarding and the sexual harassment. Those issues were always present peripherally, but didn’t seem to really have an impact until the end of the novel. I enjoyed the fast pacing of the novel, but I also felt like certain relationships, like the one between Josie and Jordan, escalated too quickly without much development.

Overall, Behind Closed Doors is a fast paced read, with interesting characters, but the melodrama was a little too much. I wish those moments had been toned down so the real issues could have been better explored.
… (mehr)

Literary Merit: Decent
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Recommended with reservations
Level: Middle and High School

Behind Closed Doors tells the story of two teenage girls, Josie and Tasha, who come from very different lives but come together on one fateful stormy night and learn that they aren’t so different after all. Together they forge an understanding and form a friendship that allows them to brave familial issues concerning their mothers and drama at home.

Josie’s mother is a hoarder who cares about her ever expanding collection more than anyone and anything else. Her obsession leads her to lose her job, while her spending clutters their home to the point of limited mobility and makes it very difficult for her to care for Josie, and provide her with basic necessities like food and school clothes.

Tasha comes from a very different home environment. Her mother is well off and often plies Tasha with money for shopping and new things. It quickly becomes clear, however, that this is a cover for her own selfishness and need for a man. She brings home boyfriend after boyfriend, all worse than the last. When she begins dating Chaz, Tasha thinks things are going to be different. He’s younger, and much kinder to her mother than the men she’s dated in the past. Everything seems great until Chaz starts leering and coming on to Tasha, attempting multiple times to come into her room late at night.

One of the aspects of the novel I really enjoyed was the friendship between Josie and Tasha. When they began to see similarities in regards to their selfish mothers, a friendship bloomed and they started working together to solve their problems. A lot of YA fiction often pits young girls against each other, so it was very refreshing getting to see the opposite.

Unfortunately for every one thing I did enjoy in the novel, it seemed like there were two things I didn’t like. One of the novel’s downfalls was its melodramatic plot points that seemed in some cases unnecessary and took away from some of the bigger issues that could have been explored more, i.e. the hoarding and the sexual harassment. Those issues were always present peripherally, but didn’t seem to really have an impact until the end of the novel. I enjoyed the fast pacing of the novel, but I also felt like certain relationships, like the one between Josie and Jordan, escalated too quickly without much development.

Overall, Behind Closed Doors is a fast paced read, with interesting characters, but the melodrama was a little too much. I wish those moments had been toned down so the real issues could have been better explored.… (mehr)