Only in Whispers

by Jacqueline Grima

[zooloo1983]

I finished the book 20 mins ago and I need to get my thoughts done.

Firstly, the tears that flowed from this me when I read this book was unexpected. When you look at the cover and read the blurb I was not expecting tears to flow, but they do. If I ever get the chance to meet Jacqueline I will need to get her a serious talking to, I mean jeez you put Annie through the blinking ringer!

This book is not a fast-paced thriller, this is not a psychological thriller, this is a slow burner, entering Annie’s life at a time of big changes. It is so character driven and rightly so, there is no serial killer, this is life, and this is life at its worse.

Annie is separated from her husband David, moving her into a new house with their son Spencer, David has paid for the house, pays the bills and has his own keys. Forever retaining his controlling behaviour on Annie. So I thought this story was going to go the scary thrilling way (I purposely did not re-read the blurb before reading the book). This is not how the story goes.

I loved Annie, she is such a strong woman who just does not realise it. With changes comes flashbacks from her past when she was a child, seeing her meeting her baby brother, giving him a teddy. Memories just encroaching on her mind and fleeting when she gets closer.

Her and her brother Matthew, lived with their Aunt Helen when they were young but no memories to why all they know is their mum had depression and couldn’t cope and then one day she came back with their step-father and it was happy families again. This is where it was all meant to end!

Annie is trying to adjust to her single life, her cousin Catherine, Aunt Helen’s daughter has left her husband Clive in Abu Dhabi moving in with Annie for a short while (thankfully it was short!). However, this storyline, Adam her brother’s gorgeous friend, and David all take a back seat to the main plot but still add to all the rubbish Annie has to go through (again Ms Grima we need to have words).

There were so many storylines going on at the same time, but it was easy to keep up. I guessed a couple of them but upon reading one of them, I am telling you the tears fell. I was so heartbroken for the family and all that grief that has been kept hidden away.

I was so surprised by this book because remember I forgot what I was reading, but this book was such a heartfelt revelation. I feel that Annie can move on with her life now, once the secrets had been revealed. Yes life will never be the same and it is upside down, and depression played a theme through this book. Something I know well, the darkness you live in, the suffering and the feeling you are alone, this is something that you can feel with two of the characters. Yet, through this darkness, there is a fight, a fight for a better life, for forgiveness and giving that forgiveness. It is powerful and shocking.

This is a book I wholeheartedly recommend, I devoured it today, and all today, I needed the answers as much as Annie and I was glad to discover some with her and some before her.