The Women Behind the Door

Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE WOMEN BEHIND THE DOOR

Named a Most-Anticipated Book by People • Los Angeles Review of Books • LitHub

"The women in Roddy Doyle’s The Women Behind the Door are so flawed: bruised, crass, guilt-ridden, incontinent, self-centered, blunt to a fault, furious at themselves and each other and the world. And they are such wonderful company: so funny, so direct, so emotional, so surprising." —The Washington Post

"There’s much to admire here. And for Doyle fans, the novel will feel familiar: It is unflinching and dark, brutal in its economy, wry and mostly devastating." —The New York Times

"Paula’s hard-won peace comes not from growing into control of her relationships, working life and economic status but in reckoning with the limits of agency and, crucially for the reader, in the possession of a wild and hilarious narrative voice. One of Paula’s joys in later life is strong friendships with funny women. She has learned a measure of self-compassion that stops well short of self-pity, and combines it unusually with a gloriously sardonic sense of humour. The book deals with hard times and dark matters, but there’s always light in the writing." —The Guardian

“A riveting, indelible portrait.” —People

"Proof that a humble Irish kitchen can contain limitless drama.... In The Women Behind the Door, Roddy Doyle revives Paula Spencer, one of his greatest characters, in emotional style." —The Telegraph

“[Doyle] brings his storytelling genius to a tale about a family crisis.” —iNews

“Paula Spencer is back amid the pandemic lockdown in Roddy Doyle’s brilliant new novel. . . . It is no wonder that Doyle, whose other novels include the Booker Prize-winning Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and The Commitments, has brought her back for another go-round. She is fabulous company. . . . With Paula, Doyle has created a fictional character as memorable as Molly Bloom or the Wife of Bath.” —AP News

“An emotionally raw mother-daughter drama. . . . Doyle’s compassionate chronicle of recovery and reconciliation is worth seeking out.” —Publishers Weekly

“[Doyle] excels in the singing speech of ordinary people that reveal the seething emotions underneath. . . . A gripping, blisteringly honest examination of issues too long swept under the rug.” —Kirkus

“I’ve been reading Roddy Doyle’s since The Commitments, and I can’t imagine ever stopping. He is a brilliant, one-of-a-kind writer—passionate, funny and humane.” —David Nicholls, author of One Day

“With The Woman Who Walked Into Doors Roddy Doyle understood what we call ‘coercive control’ before society gave it a name. You might think that achievement enough, but he also gave us the wounded, yearning, beautiful heart of Paula Spencer. The character is a hymn to female generosity; the ordinary, discardable kind that keeps the world turning. Reading her voice for the first time sent a pang of recognition through me, followed by love.” —Anne Enright, author of Booker Prize-winner The Gathering

“Paula Spencer is one of the most unforgettable characters in Irish fiction . . . Thousands of Irishwomen, who had felt so invisible before, recognised themselves in her.” —Sinead Gleeson, author of Constellations: Reflections from Life

PRAISE FOR RODDY DOYLE:

“Roddy has an amazing gift for dialogue, and he writes with great warmth about families without being sentimental.” —Marian Keyes

“Roddy Doyle possesses breathtaking breadth: he can do demotic comedy, family arguments, historical sweep . . . I’m not quite sure how he pulls it off.” —Maggie O'Farrell

“The undisputed laureate of ordinary lives.” —The Times

“An explorer of the deepest places of the heart, of love and pain and loss.” —The Irish Times

“One of the best writers of dialogue we have, using it with humour and drama.” —New Statesman

“The best novelist of his generation.” —Nick Hornby Expand reviews