The captivating new novel from the author of the explosive Sunday Times bestseller, THE PUSH

'Spellbinding, a shimmering, visceral ride through the dark side of family' LISA JEWELL

'I absolutely loved this book' MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER
'A beautifully observed exploration of what it means to be a woman' SARAH PEARSE
'Deeply thrilling and provocative . . a truly masterful novel' NITA PROSE
'Thought-provoking and gripping, this is worthy of all the praise coming its way' HEAT, Book of the Week
___________

The whispers started long before the accident on Harlow Street . . .
Was it at the party, when Whitney screamed blue murder at her son?
Or after neighbour Blair started prowling Whitney's house, uninvited?
Or once Rebecca and Ben's childlessness finally puts a crack in their marriage?
But on the terrible night of the accident, the whispers grow louder, more insistent.
Neighbours gather round. Questions are asked. Secrets are spilled. And the gloss on everything begins to rub off. Everyone is drawn into the darkness.
Because there's no smoke without fire.
No friendship without envy.
And no lie that does not conceal a devastating truth . . .

___________

The Whispers is a darkly psychological portrait of couples in crisis and families in free fall.
'A chilling psychodrama about motherhood and community' i PAPER
'You will devour this. A brilliant, honest read about families in crisis' Woman & Home
'Riveting... a fearless deep dive into the real internal lives of women. The Whispers is a brilliant, deeply affecting novel you won't soon forget' Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
'A masterwork: a page-turner, a searing emotional rollercoaster and a beautifully-written hymn to the pain, the love, the fury of motherhood . . . sensational' Rosie Walsh, bestselling author of The Man Who Didn't Call
Praise for THE PUSH:
'Set my nerves jangling in both horror and recognition' LISA JEWELL
'Gripping' GUARDIAN
'Sustains the suspense expertly' SUNDAY TIMES
'Keeps the reader hooked' GRAZIA
'Jet-black' ABIGAIL DEAN
'Provocative, compulsive' VOGUE
'Riveting, thought-provoking' DAILY MAIL
'Bold' HEAT

About the Author
ASHLEY AUDRAIN's debut novel THE PUSH is a New York Times, Sunday Times and #1 international bestseller, and a Good Morning America book club pick. It's been translated into 38 languages, and a limited television series is currently in development. Ashley previously worked as publicity director of Penguin Books Canada, and prior to that, worked in public relations. She lives in Toronto, where she and her partner are raising their two young children. THE WHISPERS is her second novel.

Reviews
Thought-provoking and gripping, this is worthy of all the praise coming its way * HEAT, Book of the Week *
The Whispers is spellbinding, a shimmering, visceral ride through the dark side of family, of community, of womanhood and mothering. Nobody delves as deep into the guts of motherhood as Ashley Audrain, she really is in a league of her own -- Lisa Jewell, Sunday Times #1 Bestselling Author
I absolutely loved this book -- Miranda Cowley Heller, bestselling author of The Paper Palace
Enticing, nuanced, and unflinching, The Whispers opens a secret portal into the private lives of women in suburbia. A narrative portrait of motherhood and marriage, of loneliness and longing, of loss and desire, this is a novel where the characters are so recognizable, it's nearly impossible to feel they are strangers. Rather, through the course of the deeply thrilling and provocative pages, one comes to feel they're as real as neighbours, colleagues and friends. A truly masterful novel -- Nita Prose, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Maid
Riveting ... a fearless deep dive into the real internal lives of women. The Whispers is a brilliant, deeply affecting novel you won't soon forget -- Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
Rage unites these women - rage that is expertly, subtly and powerfully rendered by Audrain . . . and, after Audrain has lulled you into a sense of resignation over her characters' fates, she delivers a sucker-punch ending you'll have to read twice to believe * New York Times *
A chilling story and a beautifully observed exploration of what it means to be a woman, highlighting the sacrifices involved and the often frightening choices that have to be made. The knowledge that something awful is looming lends the narrative a compelling sense of unease that builds to a thickening dread as Audrain ratchets up the tension. A quietly revelatory and unnerving novel that works on so many levels - I couldn't put it down -- Sarah Pearse, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Sanatorium
A dark, unflinching family drama. A pageturner * Grazia *
A beautifully written, twisty and thought-provoking novel about the demands of modern women, motherhood and how our own past shapes us. The Whispers is packed with suspense, tension and unforgettable characters and I couldn't read it fast enough. I adored it! -- Claire Douglas, number one bestselling author of The Couple at No.9
Ashley Audrain is the master of simmering resentment and paranoia, mental load and motherhood. This slow-burn thriller is gripping and horrifying and with a perfectly shocking ending. It's going to be huge, absolutely unmissable. -- Catherine Cooper, bestselling author of The Cruise
The novel's breathless pace and devastatingly poignant observations about the realities of motherhood and womanhood today make every page a gut punch, and the mystery woven in will leave you guessing until the very last page * Glamour US *
No one understands the secret lives of women like Ashley Audrain. In her electrifying new novel, The Whispers, the unspoken fears, desires, and shame of four neighbours threaten the lives they've so carefully constructed. It's a razor-sharp page-turner. Masterful! -- Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After
If you couldn't get enough of Audrain's debut novel, The Push, you will devour this highly anticipated follow-up. A brilliant, honest read about families in crisis * Woman & Home *
A masterwork: a page-turner, a searing emotional rollercoaster and a beautifully-written hymn to the pain, the love, the fury of motherhood. I could think about nothing but Ashley Audrain's perfectly-drawn characters in the three days it took me to tear through this novel, and I suspect they will live on in my mind for a long time to come. Sensational -- Rosie Walsh, bestselling author of The Man Who Didn't Call
Driven by desire, jealousy and revenge, everyone is under suspicion and guilty of something in this powerful, edgy and addictive novel by the queen of psychological drama, Ashley Audrain. An honest, uncensored look at women and motherhood in the wake of a mysterious tragedy, The Whispers is a must-read -- Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Just the Nicest Couple
I couldn't put The Whispers down. It held me by my throat the entire way and left me in awe of Audrain's talent and her ability to put the female experience so ruthlessly, so painfully and so beautifully into words. She is exceptional at her craft, one of the best, and her work should be read religiously and consistently by all. I can't recommend this book enough -- Salma El-Wardany, BBC Radio London
A punchy page-turner about motherhood, sacrifice and the huge expectations we force on to women * Good Housekeeping *
Ashley Audrain writes about motherhood and how it feels to be a woman today with a fearlessness few can muster. Every time I turned a page, I thought: yes! This is why I read--to connect, to feel seen, to be confronted with my deepest fears, and, of course, to go on a breathtakingly suspenseful ride while doing it -- Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author of The Husbands
Ashley Audrain has a profound understanding of how thin the line between good and evil can be. THE WHISPERS leads readers past the carefully composed facade of Harlow Street to dig, unflinchingly, into themes of motherhood, fidelity, privilege and complicity, resulting in a novel that not only delivers on the promise of its taut, explosive and page-turning plot-but redefines the very idea of what a thriller is and can be. Daring, incisive, and exquisitely written, Audrain has proven herself a force like no other -- Courtney Summers, New York Times bestselling author of Sadie
A cracking psychological thriller that keeps you guessing to the final pages. Thought-provoking, gripping, worthy of all the praise * Heat *
A chilling psychodrama about motherhood and community * i *
The Whispers held me in its grip from the first page until the final, gasp-worthy line - a raw, provocative, mesmerising thriller, charting the darkest psychological contours of motherhood with devastating precision. Audrain writes with such unsettling honesty and I found it impossible to tear myself away from her characters. Fans of The Push will not be disappointed! -- Katherine Faulkner, author of Greenwich Park
A tense tale about motherhood, friendship and betrayal * Sun *
I was blown away by The Push, and found myself equally enthralled by The Whispers * Prima *
A brilliant beach read of a thriller that you're likely to chomp through in a single sitting * Cambridge Edition *
Her books are quickly becoming a must read * Woman's Weekly *



Book Information
ISBN 9780241434574
Author Ashley Audrain
Format Hardback
Page Count 336
Imprint Michael Joseph Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 555g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 162mm * 32mm