The Whispers: A Novel
“Expertly, subtly and powerfully rendered….[The Whispers] delivers a sucker-punch ending you’ll have to read twice to believe.”—The New York Times Book Review
“[An] electrifying…razor-sharp page-turner.” —Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After
Featured in summer reading recommendations by Good Morning America, TIME, ELLE, The Washington Post & more
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Push, a propulsive page-turner about four families whose lives are changed when the unthinkable happens—and what is lost when we give in to our own worst impulses
On Harlow Street, the well-to-do neighborhood couples and their children gather for a catered barbecue as the summer winds down; drinks continue late into the night.
Everything is fabulous until the picture-perfect hostess explodes in fury because her son disobeys her. Everyone at the party hears her exquisite veneer crack—loud and clear. Before long, that same young boy falls from his bedside window in the middle of the night. And then, his mother can only sit by her son’s hospital bed, where she refuses to speak to anyone, and his life hangs in the balance.
What happens next, over the course of a tense three days, as each of these women grapple with what led to that terrible night?
Exploring envy, women’s friendships, desire, and the intuitions that we silence, The Whispers is a chilling novel that marks Audrain as a major women's fiction talent.
“[An] electrifying…razor-sharp page-turner.” —Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After
Featured in summer reading recommendations by Good Morning America, TIME, ELLE, The Washington Post & more
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Push, a propulsive page-turner about four families whose lives are changed when the unthinkable happens—and what is lost when we give in to our own worst impulses
On Harlow Street, the well-to-do neighborhood couples and their children gather for a catered barbecue as the summer winds down; drinks continue late into the night.
Everything is fabulous until the picture-perfect hostess explodes in fury because her son disobeys her. Everyone at the party hears her exquisite veneer crack—loud and clear. Before long, that same young boy falls from his bedside window in the middle of the night. And then, his mother can only sit by her son’s hospital bed, where she refuses to speak to anyone, and his life hangs in the balance.
What happens next, over the course of a tense three days, as each of these women grapple with what led to that terrible night?
Exploring envy, women’s friendships, desire, and the intuitions that we silence, The Whispers is a chilling novel that marks Audrain as a major women's fiction talent.
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What’s it about?
This novel centers around four couples living in an affluent neighborhood in any city in the U.S. The couples are all married. Two of the couples have school age children, a third struggles with infertility, and one couple is much older. When Xavier (the 10-year-old son of one of the couples) falls from a third floor window and ends up on life-support, there are many questions to be answered. What exactly is going on in this neighborhood and how did Xavier fall?
What did it make me think about?
Motherhood.
Should I read it?
So this latest book from the author of “The Push” is a page turner for sure- but it just got to be a little too much for me. Each character was unlikable in their own unique way and they all had SO many issues. I am so glad I did not live in this neighborhood when my kids were small! If you really like a thriller with lots of twists then you will enjoy this novel. It just missed for me.
Quote-
“But these mothers are all busy, she knows. Too much going on and yet nothing going on at all, creating urgency where there is none, rushing their lives away. They don’t know how to just be. They make no time to think about what’s right there in front of them.”
What’s it about?
This novel centers around four couples living in an affluent neighborhood in any city in the U.S. The couples are all married. Two of the couples have school age children, a third struggles with infertility, and one couple is much older. When Xavier (the 10-year-old son of one of the couples) falls from a third floor window and ends up on life-support, there are many questions to be answered. What exactly is going on in this neighborhood and how did Xavier fall?
What did it make me think about?
Motherhood.
Should I read it?
So this latest book from the author of “The Push” is a page turner for sure- but it just got to be a little too much for me. Each character was unlikable in their own unique way and they all had SO many issues. I am so glad I did not live in this neighborhood when my kids were small! If you really like a thriller with lots of twists then you will enjoy this novel. It just missed for me.
Quote-
“But these mothers are all busy, she knows. Too much going on and yet nothing going on at all, creating urgency where there is none, rushing their lives away. They don’t know how to just be. They make no time to think about what’s right there in front of them.”
Usually, second novels aren't as good as the debut but, this one is! Ashley Audrin knows how to write about motherhood, sacrifices, and women relationships. She can make you uncomfortable with not only the thoughts some women have about motherhood but, also the choices they make and the consequences that follow. This is a psychological drama about 4 suburban families whose lives are changed when the unthinkable happens. The 4 women are the main characters, and the story is told from their POV. None of them are likeable or relatable to me but, I did understand them a bit more as Audrain is so skilled at letting us get in their head. The husbands are all secondary characters in this twisty tale.
Whitney and Jacob are the "it" neighborhood couple and they are hosting an end of summer party in their backyard. They have 3 children (10 year old Xavier and younger twins). Whitney is a successful working mom. She is a workaholic and passes most mom "duties" to their nanny.
Blair and Aiden live across the street. Blair gave up her job to be a SAHM to their daughter, Chloe. Blair and Whitney each envy the other woman but for different reasons. Rebecca and Ben also live on the street and do not have children. Rebecca is an ER doctor and the one who is at the hospital when the tragedy occurs. Rebecca and Ben have their own secrets. The last couple, Mara and Albert are the older couple next door. They aren't invited to the summer party but Mara does a good job gathering evidence about what is going on. She passes her days on her front porch watching her young neighbors go about their busy lives. Mara's story is quite sad.
Back to the party and the event that put everything in motion...Whitney is the perfect hostess, but she is frustrated with her son and yells and berets him in his room for something he did during the party. As if that isn't bad enough, his bedroom window is open so all the guests hear her fury unfold on her son. She knows there will be whispers yet, she goes back outside as if nothing happened. Nine months later, Rebecca is the ER doctor when a young boy has been brought in. It's Whitney's son, Xavier. He has fallen from his bedroom window in the middle of the night and is in a coma. While friends and neighbors are in shock, they will each confront their role in the events leading up to that terrible night. The story quickly spins out of control. Each woman is forced to look at her own secrets, and the uncomfortable truths that connect each of them together.
Dark, intense drama...loved all the references to whispers...definitely unsettling and what an ending!
Whitney and Jacob are the "it" neighborhood couple and they are hosting an end of summer party in their backyard. They have 3 children (10 year old Xavier and younger twins). Whitney is a successful working mom. She is a workaholic and passes most mom "duties" to their nanny.
Blair and Aiden live across the street. Blair gave up her job to be a SAHM to their daughter, Chloe. Blair and Whitney each envy the other woman but for different reasons. Rebecca and Ben also live on the street and do not have children. Rebecca is an ER doctor and the one who is at the hospital when the tragedy occurs. Rebecca and Ben have their own secrets. The last couple, Mara and Albert are the older couple next door. They aren't invited to the summer party but Mara does a good job gathering evidence about what is going on. She passes her days on her front porch watching her young neighbors go about their busy lives. Mara's story is quite sad.
Back to the party and the event that put everything in motion...Whitney is the perfect hostess, but she is frustrated with her son and yells and berets him in his room for something he did during the party. As if that isn't bad enough, his bedroom window is open so all the guests hear her fury unfold on her son. She knows there will be whispers yet, she goes back outside as if nothing happened. Nine months later, Rebecca is the ER doctor when a young boy has been brought in. It's Whitney's son, Xavier. He has fallen from his bedroom window in the middle of the night and is in a coma. While friends and neighbors are in shock, they will each confront their role in the events leading up to that terrible night. The story quickly spins out of control. Each woman is forced to look at her own secrets, and the uncomfortable truths that connect each of them together.
Dark, intense drama...loved all the references to whispers...definitely unsettling and what an ending!
4.5⭐️
I loved this! So good. So honest and pure in its portrayal of motherhood and relationships. Powerfully raw descriptions of miscarriage, so might not be suitable for all.
I loved this! So good. So honest and pure in its portrayal of motherhood and relationships. Powerfully raw descriptions of miscarriage, so might not be suitable for all.
This was a great book (listened to this book) A few trist and turns.
A neighborsis intertwined in each other lives. A boy falls from the window. Did he jump? or was he pushed?
Whitney, the mother, a powerful career woman has to deal with her 10 year old son who seems to be a bit odd.
Her neighbor and best friend, Blair is struggling with being a stay at home mom, she lacks the career and self idenity. Is her husband cheating on her?
Rebecca, the ER doctor who works on the boy, is struggling with getting and staying pregnant.
A neighborhood comes together, for support, and whipser secrets.
A neighborsis intertwined in each other lives. A boy falls from the window. Did he jump? or was he pushed?
Whitney, the mother, a powerful career woman has to deal with her 10 year old son who seems to be a bit odd.
Her neighbor and best friend, Blair is struggling with being a stay at home mom, she lacks the career and self idenity. Is her husband cheating on her?
Rebecca, the ER doctor who works on the boy, is struggling with getting and staying pregnant.
A neighborhood comes together, for support, and whipser secrets.
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