Luckily for readers of The Woman Who Walked into Doors , Irish writer Roddy Doyle offers an unusual heroine in Paula Spencer. The book essentially begins with Paula learning of her estranged husband Charlo's death at the hands of police, following a botched robbery that resulted in murder. In flashbacks we can see how Paula showed promise, but was put on a school track that led nowhere. Combine that with an emotionally withholding father and you can see the attraction she finds in the handsome Charlo. Over the course of 17 years, she suffers every kind of abuse imaginable, from marital rape to losing most of her teeth. At one point Charlo asks her to choose which finger she wants broken, a brief sentence that involuntarily make my hands clench. It's no surprise when she turns to alcohol, and when she says that can't remember most of the 80s you cringe for both her and her children. Even when she kicks Charlo out (you find out why toward the end of the novel), there's no redemption for Paula. It's hard not to feel sorry for a woman who waits until her youngest is in bed before drinking.
What I loved about Doyle's writing, and Paula's voice, are the little details. Paula, a cleaning lady in an office, is thrilled to discover books tossed in the trash, which she reads eagerly. At Charlo's funeral, a brother spits at her feet. Charlo asks Paula at one point how she got her black eye. For me, one of the most haunting aspects is Paula's interactions with medical staff to stitch her up, and their not-so-subtle belief that she got what was coming to her because she was drunk. Luckily, in the 14 years since The Woman Who Walked into Doors appeared, health care professionals have learned a lot about the right questions to ask, rather than believe a woman repeatedly claiming that she fell.
I would recommend this book for those familiar with Doyle's work, or for those in the health care profession. I picked this book for my book club this month, and am excited to discuss it. Meanwhile, I'm curious - what books about abuse would you recommend?
