Hi again! The theme of today’s post is a bit darker than the last one, we transition from a lighthearted and quirky story about friendship to a book about crime and grief. I’ll dive deeper into my other favorite book; The Whisper Man, by Alex North.

This book narrates the journey of a single father (Tom) who moves to a new town, (Featherbank) with his son (Jake) after his wife passes away. Their new home is filled with mystery and tragedy as a boy gets abducted after his mom hears whispers through the window. This ignites fear in the town as nearly twenty years before, Featherbank had been terrorized by a man dubbed the ‘whisper man’. He had taken and gruesomely murdered five little boys by luring them out of their homes through whispers. The story unravels as we discover the actual ‘Whisper Man’ has been imprisoned for decades, Jake is the killer’s new target and the lead detective on the case may be closer to the family than expected.

Although at first glance this book might be seen as simply a horrific tale, it actually dives deeper into a very important subject; loss and family. It reflects on how both Tom and Jake deal with the loss of someone they held dearly while trying to simultaneously accept that they only have each other now and coming to the realization that     -they don’t understand one another-

The grief in this book is narrated from two main perspectives; the father and the son. 

Tom is a complicated individual. He not only deals with loss, but with guilt as well. He believes he is not enough to take care of Jake on his own and even resents Rebecca for leaving him with the burden of filling in her shoes. He has a hard time understanding how to support his son. Nevertheless, all throughout the book we never doubt his love for Jake; it is evident that Jake is the most important thing in his life and all that he does is for his well-being. 

On the other hand, we have Jake’s perspective. Jake resents his father for not understanding him and blames himself for not understanding his father. This back-and-forth of complicated expressions of love between them is also aggravated by the sadness and isolation Jake feels at losing his mother. All that he wants is to be accepted as he once was.

The looming threat of the ‘Whisper Man’ or his impersonator further complicates the issues that his family is facing as they attempt to be safe and united.

This is genuinely one of the most compelling and interesting books I have read in all my life. The way it deals with the tragic killings without using violence as a shock factor, how it portrays a family going through a traumatic situation, and incorporates realistic feelings without going overboard and becoming a sob story. ‘The Whisper Man’ is a read that I recommend to anyone interested in joining the world of thrillers.