Book Synopsis:
The whispers started long before the accident on Harlow Street . . .
Was it at the party, when Whitney screamed blue murder at her son?
Or after neighbour Blair started prowling Whitney’s house, uninvited?
Or once Rebecca and Ben’s childlessness finally puts a crack in their marriage?
But on the terrible night of the accident, the whispers grow louder, more insistent.
Neighbours gather round. Questions are asked. Secrets are spilled. And the gloss on everything begins to rub off. Everyone is drawn into the darkness.
Because there’s no smoke without fire.
No friendship without envy.
And no lie that does not conceal a devastating truth . . .
My Review:
The Whispers is a dark, unsettling and emotional read that will stay with me for a long time.
The story is told from the point of view of four women, neighbours that have lived next to each other for years. Each women represents a different type of mother and I found it interesting to explore these through the characters, seeing not only how they viewed each other but also how society viewed them. In this book we meet the stay at home mother, the working mother, a grieving elderly mother and a woman who desperately wants to be a mother. Each story is very different and I liked how each woman gets to narrate the story as it helped me to understand them better.
I thought it was very interesting how the author explores the concept of motherhood and the pressures that woman can place on themselves to be perfect. As a mother myself I found this very intriguing and felt a lot of sympathy for some of the things the mother’s were going through, though this did change as the story continued. Out of all the mother’s the one I felt most sorry for was Rebecca and Mara. I’ve sadly experienced the loss of a child and the author doesn’t hold back in some of her descriptions of this which was hard to read about at times.
Overall I thought this was a great read which gripped me from the start. It was fascinating to have a fly on the wall glimpse into these women’s lives and I soon found myself engrossed, unable to put the book down as I wanted to see how it was all going to end. There were some incredibly emotional moments that brought a lump to my throat and some scenes that made me so angry I had to put the book down for a minute. I had lots of theories about what was going on but I was wrong about all of them which I always like. The ending was brilliant and I gasped out loud with the twist at the end. I was lucky enough to read this with a friend and I’m glad I had someone to discuss this incredible book with. I think it would make a great bookclub read as there’s lots to discuss but do check the trigger warnings as it might be a difficult read for some people.
About The Author:
Ashley Audrain previously worked as the publicity director of Penguin Books Canada. Prior to Penguin, she worked in public relations. She lives in Toronto, where she and her partner are raising their two young children. The Push is her debut novel.
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