Book reviews by D.G. Kaye

Sunday Book Review – A House Without Windows by Stevie Turner

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Sunday Book Review

Book reviews by D.G. Kaye

 

Today’s book review is on author Stevie Turner’s book- A House Without Windows. This book captivated me from the get-go. The story drew me in immediately as the protagonist, Beth, took us right into a nightmare of captivity. I don’t wish to give any spoiler alerts but suffice it to say, the psychological damage that she endures had me reading uncomfortably, yet glued and anxiously hoping through each page she’d be rescued . . . being rescued doesn’t usually mean the events a captured victim experienced will ever go away.

 

 

Blurb:

Dr Beth Nichols thinks she has been held captive by Edwin Evans for about 8 or 9 years now. Amidst her grief she often looks back and thinks about her fiancée Liam; theirs was the greatest romance of all. She lays awake at night staring at the one light bulb that is never switched off, and prays that he is still out there somewhere searching for her…

 

My 5 Star Review:

This book has an unusual storyline with each chapter taking us into the minds and real life thoughts of each character, I could liken this story to the book/movie – Room, but the story isn’t only about ‘the room’ Beth is held captive in, but life after she is freed and the perspectives of every day life after being a victim.

A House Without Windows is the story of Beth Nichols whose compassion as a doctor leads to a scary nightmare in real life when Edwin Evans forms a ploy to kidnap her and keep her locked up all for himself. The story begins as a psychological thriller where Beth’s captivity in a tiny room with no windows becomes her life and the only home she will know for almost ten years,

Turner does a great job of giving us readers a ringside seat into what life is like for Beth, leaving us feeling uncomfortable, anxious, taking us in, almost as though we were that hostage, and wondering how on earth she will ever get out of her hell. Beth is a strong-willed and an intelligent woman, which has much to do with how she manages to stay sane while enduring solitude and the daily abuse, all the while remembering her love for her dear fiancee Liam.

I don’t want to reveal spoilers so it’s better I don’t talk about what happens in the second half of the book. Suffice it to say, I will plant some questions here that came to my mind as I read this captivating book:

Beth: How does one continue on back in the real world when it comes to love and sex and trust?

Beth: How does a mother keep love in her heart for a child who was born from rape?

Amy: How does a child born in captivity adapt to the real world after young childhood years in 4 walls?

Liam: Does true love ever die no matter the circumstance even after moving on and accepting the love of your life is dead?

Joss: Does being born of the spawn of a psychotic maniac carry through the genes?

These are just a few questions that came to mind and will no doubt come to any reader’s mind as they read this book, and as you continue to read those answers will be revealed. Turner has done a fantastic job of fleshing out characters, settings and mood. I would highly #recommend this book!

47 thoughts on “Sunday Book Review – A House Without Windows by Stevie Turner”

  4. Terrific review,Debby! I’m drawn to this book,the questions you raise … it sounds brilliantly written. Uncomfortable is definitely the word and how I felt with Room but again impossible to put down.

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    1. Thanks Natalie. And you’re never too late – the beauty of blogs, they’re always there. 🙂 And ouchee, sorry to hear you were a victim of that deadly flu going around too. Hope you are on the mend! ❤

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    2. Thanks Natalie. And you’re never too late – the beauty of blogs, they’re always there. 🙂 And ouchee, sorry to hear you were a victim of that deadly flu going around too. Hope you are on the mend! ❤

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  17. What a horrific tale, Debby. And, once again hard to review without giving away too many details. The story also sounds intriguing, but psychological damage rarely ever leads to a happy ending… Beth probably recreated her reality after her release, to see happiness in the smallest things after being held captive and being in hell for such a long time. I’m sure the reader can learn something from that as well, and might remember to be grateful for the life they lead. Interesting book. I’ll put it on “the list”!

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  18. Pingback: Friday Roundup – 16 February | Stevie Turner, Indie Author.

  19. Sounds like an interesting story, Debby. It reminds me a little of Anne Goodwin’s novel “Underneath”. Have you read it? Sadly, real stories like Beth’s are not as infrequent as we’d like to believe. I am always horrified at the way some human beings treat each other. It makes me wonder how they were treated in the first place. I like the way you asked questions to hint at the plot rather than giving it all away at once.

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  20. This sounds an interesting read Debby.. Something that we see is happening more and more in real life as we see people being held prisoner in their own homes.. One can not imagine it. or the effects it has.
    Thank you for your amazing review.. I do not know how you do it.. I spent nearly all day painting yesterday.. And time went in a flash.. 🙂
    Sending Mega Hugs Debby and thank you for sharing all you do.. 🙂 xxx

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