The Woman Who Walked Into Doors

The Woman Who Walked Into Doors (1996) by Roddy Doyle. This is a harrowing story about an Irish woman who marries the man of her dreams, only to discover as the years pass that he is a mean drunk and a wife beater. The woman in question is named Paula Spencer; she is 39 years old and alcoholic. One gets the impression that she was quite good looking when she was young, but that life and poverty -- and all those beatings at the hands of her husband -- have worn her down. Paula is now a cleaning lady, struggling to reclaim her dignity and her life. This book has perfect pitch as she describes, in her own voice, what it was that brought her to where she is today. Grade: A