The Book of Doors

Chance book selection turned one of the best reads of the year! I really enjoyed The Book of Doors and the unexpected blend of magic, horror, friendship and - books, of course. It's like the author created a book of escapism, based on the dreams and fantasies of constant readers everywhere - being protected by books, finding sanctuary in a library, passing on that love to someone else - and then threw in shadows and darkness for the drama. But even the villains were satisfying, especially the twist at the end - that's where censorship/destroying books gets you! I was gripped from start to finish, despite the tiny print, and will definitely read more by Gareth Brown (who is Scottish, despite the American setting and characters in the show more book) in the future. show less

I’m glad to be done with this book. It was well written and intriguing enough to keep me going to the end, but the further I read, the more irritated I got. One particular part of the plot, about halfway through, seemed so illogical (a device just to keep the story going) that it angered me.
It’s not because the story called for suspension of disbelief — I’ve read many good a books calling on fantasy and magic realism. It was that the characters seemed undeveloped and cliche.
And, maybe the most irritating, was that the final ‘reveal’ was a let down. It didn’t make sense and I felt I was asked to take it on trust, not too many questions regarding the logic, which I don’t feel the author earned.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown has the potential to take out 'best cover design' for 2024 as determined here at Carpe Librum. Let's just take a minute to soak in the beauty that is the dark blue Victorian damask wallpaper background, punctuated by the inviting bookish staircase made from gorgeous looking leather bound books with subtle gold detailing, echoed around the corners of the front cover.

In the design, the door is a book and this is The Book of Doors, what's not to love?

Astonishingly well written and structured for a debut, The Book of Doors immediately grabbed my attention with settings to tempt, tease and tantalise any book lover:

"Just like the store, the house was full of books - no shelf was bare, no book alone and show more seeking company - but it was more than that. The house was full of warm corners and quiet places, pleasantly creaking floorboards and draughts of air coming from unseen gaps. The lighting was soft, and the colours muted and warm, interrupted only by the shimmering dark green of the trees outside when glimpsed through windows in passing. It was a building that welcomed people who wanted comfort and silence, who wanted space to contemplate. It had an air of formality, but not stiffness, like a smartly dressed grandfather telling a rude joke." Page 135-136

Our characters fall in love with the house and I did too! Cassie works as a bookseller at a bookshop in New York and the story begins when a regular customer gives her a book with an inscription inside. Cassie is over the moon when she learns the book is a one of a kind with the ability to turn any door into a door to anywhere. Cassie then discovers there are more books with differing powers, actively being sought by eccentric collectors, nefarious actors and scary people who travel the world hunting the books for their own dark purposes.

You should know, this is a fantasy novel and there is time travel. In fact, in the words of Drummond Fox (one of the novel's characters), there is a little 'time-travel jiggery-pokery' to untangle but thankfully the author breaks it down by cleverly providing a detailed explanation of two types of time travel. There is the open model and the closed model, and they're explained to the reader in a conversation flashback as follows:

"In the open model, you can travel into the past and change events so that your present is consequently changed also. This is what you see in science-fiction stories. You go back and do something and history changes." Page 153

Yes! Reading this I was instantly reminded of 11.22.63 by Stephen King, where the main character (MC) goes back in time in an attempt to prevent the assassination of JFK. The flashback sequence in The Book of Doors continues to explain the closed model:

"You cannot change events from what has already happened. If you go back and do something in the past, then that already happened in the past and is part of history. It is part of what made your present be the present that it is, the present that you departed from when you went into the past." Page 153

It's the latter form of time travel experienced by the characters in The Book of Doors, and thankfully I wasn't too lost as it seemed the author maintained a tight grip on the reins of time-travel lore. The writing is rich and evocative and I loved learning about the other special books, the powers they held and the motives of those seeking them. The book of pain was the most intriguing as it has the power to cause and remove pain. I was most entertained during Cassie's early exploration using the book of doors and managed to keep up with the narrative when it otherwise could have been a tad timey-wimey. My only sticking point was the origin story for the books was a little too much for this book lover.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is an impressive debut and the first possible contender for my Top 5 Books of 2024. Highly recommended for book lovers and readers who enjoyed The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow or believe books are magic portals, even when they're not.

* Copy courtesy of Penguin Random House * show less

This is the kind of book that makes me love reading and adore books. It’s the kind of book I wish I had written. It is PHENOMENAL! I just did not want it to end and am crossing all fingers we will get a sequel -there is material there for one, so…pretty please???
Cassie is a New York bookseller that gets gifted The Book of Doors by Mr Webber (possibly my favourite character). At a first glance, it is a peculiar book, but Cassie is just not prepared for what it can do. You see, The Book of Doors is a magical book. One that actually does magic. What does it do? Well, “Any door is every door.”
It turns out, The Book of Doors is not the only one of its kind. Slowly but surely, we start meeting people who own other books, as well as show more bookkeepers, librarians, and assassins who will do anything to get their hands on all of the books.
Situation quickly unravels, but in spectacular fashion. Back and forth, forth and back. It is such a clever story!
Loved all the characters and it made me long to just jump in and be part of the story.
The last two chapters made me sob like a child. What a beautiful and meaningful ending, truly.
Can’t wait to forget it a bit to read it all over again.
On my top 10 books of all time. show less

WHAT A WASTED PREMISE!!!!!

holy moly chat I haven't been this mad about a book in a LONG time and many of you have already heard about it because I do not keep things to myself however I have to do a Real Review and get it over with.
THE PREMISE WAS SO GOOD the writing was horrendous in new ways I have never experienced in published work before and I'm saying this as someone who reads A Lot. This is the flattest, driest prose I have ever read--every single tenet of "show not tell" broken in basically every stilted line--the blandest characters I COULD HAVE cared about if they had been written just a little stronger (I'm so serious Cassie and Izzy and Drummond Fox and Lund were so wasted)--I only finished this book out of sheer spite at show more some point. By all means the concepts were fascinating to me and that's the worst part because I know so much could be done with those ideas and the people but ??? am I just going insane ??? there's no way bro it was just horrendous either my prose taste is cooked or I did not read the same book as the other reviewers woowww. So much possibility boiled into "he said she said they did this and also there;s very little sense of time occurring" which is deeply ironic tbh. Make me care!! Show me why I should care!! Why are both your protagonists and antagonists just Like That? you're telling us this is why they are like that, but never showing it--cartoonish in so many ways. Godawful dialogue. Concerning descriptions of people. Concerning descriptions of everything tbh bruh. anyway I'm talking myself in circles. Point is, I'm going crazy I spent like all of Orientation a) not reading books and b) malding about this book during random sessions I was paid to sit in the back for. The plot wasn't bad at all either it's just. Suffering through the slog. and yes some of the book concepts were a little silly goofy but there's enough there to be cool ao two stars because yeah fine I am still interested by the unfufilled possibilities. Glimpses of what could've been!! Like idc bro I've just decided this guy cannot write to save his life let alone female main characters show less

"If you could open a door to anywhere, where would you go?"

Books like this really appeal to me, though I'm not exactly sure why. Books that explore the idea of regrets, confronting your past, accepting your choices. The Midnight Library, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, etc. In the Book of Doors, a strange and mysterious book comes into Cassie Andrews's possession. She learns that these unique and magical books exist in the world, and give their bearers a singular ability. Hers can connect any two doors in the world - her hallway door can open into her bedroom, or onto an alley in Venice, or a street in Tokyo.

As you can imagine, these books are highly coveted, and there are people who will stop at nothing to possess them.

This book started show more off a little slow, but it picked up quickly. It's a debut, and there were parts that felt a little underdeveloped, but overall I think it's a really good first novel. The author was going for a sense of wonder and I think he's achieved that. There's a bit of timey-wimey back and forth that mostly works well, but some of it results in a feeling of deux ex machina, and that's a bit disappointing.

It's a fun story, with engaging (if not very deeply developed) characters. If you like magical realism with light hints of romance, it's a quick and enjoyable read. For me, it's a solid 3.5 stars. show less

Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers—a lonely yet charming old man—dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading. But this is no ordinary book…It is the Book of Doors. Inscribed with enigmatic words and mysterious drawings, it promises Cassie that any door is every door. You just need to know how to open them.
This one has it all...time travel, magic, friendship, family love/loss, murder, a little espionage, a little mystery and an ending that illuminates and ties everything show more together. This book was wonderful! I’d recommend and read it again in a heartbeat.

To begin with I thought it was a bit slow for the first few chapters. It felt calm and simple at first...and for a good reason. Once you start to realize the name of this game in this time travel focused book, it picked up and was filled with action, shifts, realizations and intrigue, as everything started to come together. There are a few brief parts that are a bit dark because the villain has arrived.

It's one of those stories that you want to just go on and on. 400 pages were nowhere near long enough. The author maybe could have gone a little further on the conclusion. Some of the ending had seemed to have been implied...and the reader is left to draw their own conclusions. As I read the last page and the last words everything came together and made perfect sense...and a more beautiful ending could not have been asked for. I hope we are going to get a sequel.

I don't know what the author's overall intentions were for the story when writing this book, but if nothing else, it will make you think about cherishing your loved ones even more...everyday you have them. show less