The Book of Doors

Gareth Brown

Penguin Random House

Otago Daily Times, April 13th 2024

Single and in her mid-thirties, Cassie’s Andrews life has no real direction or excitement. Not that she minds – she loves her job at the second-hand book shop, and the apartment she shares with her best friend Izzy may be far from luxurious, but it works for them.  Then her favourite customer, an elderly man called Mr Webber, dies quietly in his customary chair, leaving a book inscribed to her on the table. And not just a book but a Book, an object that can transform any door into every door, allowing her to step through to any where or when she desires.

Nor, as she soon discovers, is it the only one of its kind. Scattered across the world are others with a variety of magics. Some affect the physical world, some people’s internal state, while yet others bestow superpowers. Most mysterious of all are books like Cassie’s that alter the laws of the universe. Nobody knows exactly how many exist, nor how they came to be, and people who know of their existence dedicate their lives to tracking and acquiring them. 

Some collectors value Books for love and wonder, but many seek them for their power and will do any- and everything to acquire more.  Cassie’s Book of Doors, which until now has had mythical status, makes her the target of every Bookhunter in the business, sending her fleeing through space and time as she attempts to keep it – and herself – safe and unharmed. It is a journey that will reveal not just the origins of these magical volumes but also the complex web of cause and effect that brought her and the Book together in the first place.

Time travel novels are a tricky proposition at the best of times, and it is impressive that Gareth Brown has managed to produce an original, internally consistent, and coherent narrative on his debut.  Unfortunately, his character development doesn’t work nearly so well. Although we are provided with a variety of perspectives, including those who ally themselves with Cassie, such as Drummond Fox (a Book lover who has dedicated his life to creating a library to collect and protect them), to the eponymous Woman, whose sole purpose in life is to inflict as much pain and suffering on the world as possible, they lack depth and dimension.

Even Cassie, about whom we know the most in terms of motivations and backstory, is hard to connect with at an emotional level. And while I appreciate male writers giving female characters centre stage, there is nothing about her experiences that suggests she sees or feels anything any differently to a man in the same situation, leaving me wondering if it was worth it.

That said, the story is cleverly plotted and entertaining. Despite there being causal connections and sub-plots I would like to have seen explored more fully, The Book of Doors is a fun diversion for a dim autumnal day. 

https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/books/review-original-tale-let-down-characters