The Women Behind the Door: A Novel

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE WOMEN BEHIND THE DOOR:"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"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  "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 LifePRAISE 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