Name: The Whispers
ISBN: 9780525517498

Greg Howard

"Eleven-year-old Riley's mom has disappeared and Riley knows that if he leaves tributes for the whispers, magical fairies that grant wishes, his mom will come back to him"--

The Whispers

Vicki Hesketh

This is one of those rare occasions when a book chooses the reader. I work in a bookshop, where an advanced proof copy of this book had been sitting on our dusty staff bookcase for months, ignored and probably on its way out. Luckily after finishing late one evening, I ended up with this in my hand as we left the shop for the night, I still don't quite know how it got there. I'm am so very glad it did though. 

This is a beautiful and rare book, that is richly written and unique. Easily one of my favourite fiction reads for 2019. The Whispers handles really hard topics in a sensitive, delicate and heartbreaking way.

A coming-of-age tale that will make you laugh and cry, perfect for fans of Time Travelling With a Hamster and The Goldfish Boy. Before she disappeared, Riley's mama used to tell him stories about the Whispers, mysterious creatures with the power to grant wishes. Riley wishes for lots of things. He wishes his secret crush Dylan liked him back. He wishes the bumbling detective would stop asking awkward questions. But most of all he wishes his mother would come home . . . Four months later, the police are no closer to finding out the truth - and Riley decides to take matters into his own hands. But do the Whispers really exist? And what is Riley willing to do to find out?

Lisa Beasley

I listened to the audiobook of this while sorting out my spare room and honestly if I hadn't I would have DNF'd it. 

While I understand what the author was trying to do and the rep that he was trying to give it just totally missed the mark. I was very uncomfortable with the religious overtones and the language used was just too much sometimes. Continual use of 'condition' started to really get on my nerves. 

Also the unreliable narrator aspect was just irritating. You go in expecting a fantasy element and it is non-existant. 

Just really a total miss for me. I liked the narrator which was what stopped this being a one star.

The Whispers

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