by: Ashley Audrain
Goodreads description:
From the author of THE PUSH, a pageturner about four suburban families whose lives are changed when the unthinkable happens–and what is lost when good people make unconscionable choices
The Loverlys sit by the hospital bed of their young son who is in a coma after falling from his bedroom window in the middle of the night; his mother, Whitney, will not speak to anyone. Back home, their friends and neighbors are left in shock, each confronting their own role in the events that led up to what happened that terrible night: the warm, altruistic Parks who are the Loverlys’ best friends; the young, ambitious Goldsmiths who are struggling to start a family of their own; and the quiet, elderly Portuguese couple who care for their adult son with a developmental disability, and who pass the long days on the front porch, watching their neighbors go about their busy lives.
The story spins out over the course of one week, in the alternating voices of the women in each family as they are forced to face the secrets within the walls of their own homes, and the uncomfortable truths that connect them all to one another. Set against the heartwrenching drama of what will happen to Xavier, who hangs between death and life, or a life changed forever, THE WHISPERS is a novel about what happens when we put our needs ahead of our children’s. Exploring the quiet sacrifices of motherhood, the intuitions that we silence, the complexities of our closest friendships, and the danger of envy, this is a novel about the reverberations of life’s most difficult decisions.
Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓
My take away from this one is that women are women’s worst enemies sometimes. This was a fast paced “who-done-it”. I absolutely loved Audrain’s first novel, The Push, so I was excited to read her follow up. The Whispers was equally compelling, but not quite as good of a story. Still….I read it in two days and couldn’t put it down. Give it a read- it was better than most thrillers out there now and actually had a plausible storyline.
Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓3/4
What great reads we had this month! I recommend them all. I don’t think you will be disappointed with any of the options. In the long run, this one may be the least memorable, but it is a compelling psychological thriller – full of plenty of unlikeable and unnerving charachters, family dysfunction, and mysteries to solve. I thought Audrain’s previous bestseller, The Push, was spectacular – mesmerizing and deeply disturbing; this one is lighter, but well worth reading.
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 