BLOG TOUR: Only in Whispers - Jacqueline Grima

A forgotten past

An uncertain future

A family hiding from the truth

When their mother is hospitalised with depression, Annie and her brother Matthew are fostered by their beloved Aunt Helen. Their family eventually reunited, the siblings begin a new life in Derbyshire with their mother and new stepfather.

Now in her thirties and separated from her husband, Annie is struggling to escape the past and move forward with her son. Haunted by memories of her childhood, she begins to realise that there may have been more to her time in foster care than her mother claims. Why did social services take her and Matthew away? Who can she trust to tell her what really happened?

As Annie finds out more, things take a sinister turn…has the life she’s lived so far been a lie?

What did I think?

Now this is what I call a family drama.  Not only does Annie have to contend with the separation from her husband but she is haunted by a past that she can't explain and her family seem loathe to discuss it.  Annie is such a likeable character that I felt immediately intrigued and keen to find out more.

I don't envy Annie's situation one bit.  She is separated from her husband, David, yet lives in a house that he owns; the fact that it is an old police house was not lost on me as it definitely felt that Annie was being imprisoned by David - he even has a key and comes and goes as he pleases.  It felt quite claustrophobic when the police house was described so eloquently by Jacqueline Grima and I felt more than a little creeped out at the thought of David pouring himself into the foundations.  He is obviously a very controlling man and Annie needs to cut those bonds that tie her to him.

I love how Annie is so close to her younger brother, Matthew.  The pair had a difficult childhood when social services took them away from their mother and they went to live with their Aunt Helen.  Annie remembers visiting her mother in hospital just after Matthew was born and her mother being there but not there, clearly suffering from post natal depression.  What Annie doesn't know is how and why social services got involved and why she feel so disturbed at remembering the old concrete stairs outside their family flat.  With Matthew and his wife expecting their first baby, some of Annie's memories come back - but will her mother ever tell her the truth?

Only in Whispers is so intriguing that I raced through the pages.  I loved the fact that Annie had to deal with her controlling husband, David, whilst struggling to grasp at wispy memories of the past.  The way that the memories came back to her were described so vividly that they could have almost been my own memories; I was so emotionally invested in Annie's story that I read the final few pages with a lump in my throat.  Only in Whispers is an outstanding debut, full of dark family secrets and surprising heartfelt emotion.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Jacqueline Grima has recently completed an MA in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her creative work has appeared in a variety of publications and, in 2014, she was shortlisted for the Luke Bitmead Bursary Award. Only in Whispers is her first novel. 

Follow Jacqueline on Twitter @GrimaJgrima and read her blog at www.jacquelinegrima.wordpress.com

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Little Girl Gone - Alexandra Burt

A baby goes missing. But does her mother want her back?

When Estelle’s baby daughter is taken from her cot, she doesn’t report her missing. Days later, Estelle is found in a wrecked car, with a wound to her head and no memory.

Estelle knows she holds the key to what happened that night – but what she doesn’t know is whether she was responsible…

What did I think?

I quite enjoyed this, it was a relatively quick read but I didn't really warm to Estelle or Jack.  Estelle has a bit of a chip on her shoulder and expects to fail at everything so she doesn't realise that she is suffering from post-partum depression until it is too late.  Jack was a bit of a cold fish and doesn't really appear much in the book, I questioned whether he was even bothered that his daughter had gone missing.

I found it well written although sometimes I felt like it was a bit padded with more words than were necessary, for example: "something had gone amiss, had gone awry" - which is basically the same thing.  I think Alexandra Burt has chosen a difficult subject to write about, not only a child going missing but a mother suffering from post-partum depression.  The description of the effect of post-partum depression was written brilliantly and I think it was important to emphasise the help that psychiatric professionals can give in such cases, as people shouldn't suffer alone.

The story of the baby going missing is the main point of the book and I thought the addition of a few news articles within the book was a great idea.  I read the book quickly as I wanted to find out what had happened to Mia so the hook was there and I continued to be intrigued during Estelle's search for the truth.  The ending wasn't a disappointment, in fact I think it showed how far Estelle had come in her therapy - she never gave up looking for her daughter.

I did enjoy the book and I think it was a fascinating psychological analysis of a damaged young woman as she attempted to adapt to married life and motherhood.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Avon, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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The Last Anniversary - Liane Moriarty

Synopsis:

One abandoned baby. Two sisters with a secret. One chance to rewrite the past.

Over seventy years have passed since sisters Rose and Connie Doughty found an abandoned baby near their home on the island of Scribbly Gum. With no one to take care of it, Rose and Connie took the baby in as their own.

Since then the 'Munro Baby Mystery' has brought fame and fortune, putting Scribbly Gum on the tourist map, especially for the island's annual celebration.

But now, with Connie dead and outsider Sophie Honeywell about to move into her home, Rose begins to wonder if they made the right decision all those years ago. How much longer can they cover up the lie that has sustained their community for generations? And what other secrets are about to be revealed?

What did I think?

Scribbly Gum Island is such a fantastic name and I loved the little map at the beginning showing where everybody's house is.  I thought a family tree would have been useful as sometimes I had to stop to think who was who.

Unfortunately, the story was a little predictable - I solved the 'mystery' quite early on but the book was still worth reading as I became more interested in Grace's story rather than Enigma's (Enigma was the name given to the Munro baby).  Grace is Enigma's granddaughter and she's just given birth to Jake but she doesn't feel anything for him.  Her husband, Callum, is completely unaware of what Grace is going through.  Grace hatches a plan to pair Callum with Sophie (who inherited Connie's house) as she thinks Sophie will be a better mother to Jake than she is.  At one point, Grace is trying to surreptitiously plant this idea in Callum's head when she goes a bit too far and starts thinking "Retreat! Retreat!"  I laughed out loud at that.

Rose's story was also quite poignant.  Without her sister Connie, she feels simultaneously lost and free.  Connie always took charge of things and told Rose what to do, so I felt Rose spreading her creaky old wings a little.

My favourite part of the book was Grace telling her son that "Every day is gift.  Of course, sometimes it's a really horrible gift that you don't want."  This sums up life perfectly, if only we had the receipt we could take the gift back.

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How I Lost You - Jenny Blackhurst

I was unable to put this book down - I read it in a day, thank goodness I didn't start reading at night or I would have had no sleep.

Susan Webster is starting a new life as Emma Cartwright after serving 4 years in Oakdale Psychiatric Institute for killing her baby son, Dylan.  This is a crime she can't remember committing but her husband and doctors told her she did it.

Emma starts her new life in Ludlow, a quiet market town in Shropshire but one day she receives a letter addressed to Susan Webster with a photo of a little boy inside: 4 year old Dylan.  With the help of Cassie, her friend from Oakdale, and her new acquaintance Nick, a journalist, Susan sets out to discover if her son really is alive.  This takes her on a journey to Durham University as she uncovers the buried secrets of her husband's past.

This story has more twists and turns than a slinky.  It certainly kept me riveted from start to finish and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it - but read it at your peril, you will lose a whole day of your life!

I received this book from the publisher via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review.

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