“She’d once heard them described as the whispers—the moments that are trying to tell you something isn’t right here. The problem is that some women aren’t listening to what their lives are trying to tell them. They don’t hear the whispers until they’re looking back with hindsight. Feeling blindsided. Desperate to see the truth for what it is.”
Ashley Audrain’s compelling and unnerving book The Whispers examines the difficulties and complexity of friendship, parenting, and secrets. The book centres on four street-dwelling women, each with unique goals and challenges. Whitney is a successful executive who appears to have everything, but she doesn’t feel close to her spouse or kids. Blair is a loving mother who believes her spouse is unfaithful to her. Rebecca is a paediatrician who experiences miscarriages and infertility despite her desire for a child of her own. Mara is an elderly woman who still bears the scars of a tragedy that happened years ago.
One evening, Whitney’s son Xavier suffers a terrible fall from his bedroom window and is sent to the hospital right after. This is how the narrative opens. Although the neighbours begin to suspect Whitney’s involvement in the tragedy, the police suspect foul play. Was she pushing him? Did she ignore him? Did her miserable marriage and demanding profession cause her to lose it? The probe reveals secrets and falsehoods, upending the women’s lives in the process.
You will find The Whispers to be an engrossing and unsettling read that will not let you put it down. You will either love or despise Audrain’s realistic and imperfect characters because of her crisp and exciting writing. The book looks with issues including identity, betrayal, guilt, maternal instinct, and loyalty. It also demonstrates how women’s choices and happiness can be impacted by societal expectations and judgements. The four women’s points of view are used throughout the book to provide the reader with a glimpse into their emotions and ideas.
“She understood in that moment something about him that she had not wanted to be true. But there are risks people take when they want something badly enough.”
The story contrasts the more diverse and working-class neighbourhood that surrounds rich and gentrified Harlow Street. The book also discusses racism, immigration, and classism because some of the characters experience prejudice and discrimination because of their language, race, or socioeconomic status. One of the four women tells the story of each chapter, which uncovers additional details and secrets about what transpired that evening. To give the individuals and their interactions further background and perspective, the book also includes flashbacks and interludes.
“She says this number to herself over and over, so she doesn’t forget: 3,680 days. How many times has she felt the weight of him on her, on her hip, in her arms, on her back? 3,680 days. How many times has she told him she loves him? This number feels important. Tombstones should be etched with total number of days lived instead of dates, she thinks; the dates mean nothing.”
The book is a psychological thriller that will leave you wondering and on the edge of your seat. The author deftly manipulates the reader’s expectations and emotions over the novel’s several turns.
“Where she’d once felt motherhood had given her so much more than she’d had before, now she could only see it as having taken everything away. Now she cannot reconcile the love she has for her daughter with how confined she feels by the privilege of being her mother.”
You will adore The Whispers if you liked Audrain’s first book, The Push, which similarly explored psychological turmoil and parenthood. This eerie yet engrossing book will have you thinking and feeling. Audrain is a gifted and bold writer who doesn’t hesitate to take on challenging and contentious subjects. Readers who enjoy psychological literature and home thrillers should definitely read The Whispers.
Read an extract here.
Thank you to Penguin Random House SA for this review copy.
About this book:
Penguin Random House South Africa – The Whispers
About the author:
Ashley Audrain is a Canadian writer who was born in 1982 in Newmarket, Ontario. She is the author of two bestselling novels, The Push and The Whispers, which are both psychological thrillers that explore the themes of motherhood, friendship, and secrets. She lives in Toronto with her partner and their two children.
Before becoming a writer, Audrain worked as the publicity director of Penguin Books Canada, where she promoted many books and authors. She left her job in 2015 after a health crisis with her youngest child, and started writing as a way to cope and express herself.
Audrain’s debut novel, The Push, was published in 2021 and received critical acclaim and commercial success. It was a New York Times, Sunday Times, and international bestseller, and a Good Morning America Book Club pick. It was also sold in more than forty territories, and a limited television series is currently in development.
Audrain’s second novel, The Whispers, was published in 2023 and also received positive reviews and high sales. It was a CBC Books bestseller and a Globe and Mail Book of the Month. It was also shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada’s most prestigious literary award.
Audrain is known for her sharp and suspenseful writing style, and her realistic and flawed characters. She is not afraid to tackle difficult and controversial topics, and she challenges the reader’s expectations and emotions. She is also praised for her portrayal of women’s experiences and perspectives, and her exploration of the social and psychological aspects of motherhood.
Audrain is a talented and fearless writer who has established herself as one of the leading voices in contemporary fiction. She is currently working on her third novel, which is expected to be published in 2025.
