August meeting: Whistle in the Dark by Emma Healey

The Library Room – Victoria Bar and Kitchen, 2nd August 2018

Book Reviewed - Whistle in the Dark by Emma Healey

Our August meeting was a small select group as a lot of the regular members were away enjoying themselves on holiday. I had chosen Whistle in the Dark on my list because I had read Elizabeth Is Missing by the same author, and I really enjoyed it.

During our discussion we wondered if Emma Healey had a background in sociology or counselling, as she seems very good at writing about people and relationships (I have since found out this is not the case; she has spent most of her working life around books. Then she studied an MA in creative writing in 2010, and published her first book in 2014).

Whistle in the Dark concentrated on a difficult mother and daughter relationship. Lana, the fifteen year old daughter disappeared from an art holiday with her mother, and after four days she was found but said she had no memory of what had happened or where she had been. Jen became obsessed with trying to find out what had happened to her daughter.

Most of our group felt it was well written; Anne Marie could relate to Jen’s intrusive and compulsive behaviour, trying to discover the truth of her daughter’s disappearance. Jeanette also liked the mother-daughter relationship and found it funny in parts, but was disturbed by the descriptions in the cave, as the real life drama of the young boys being trapped in a cave in Thailand was on the news at the same time as she was reading it.

Pauline worried that Jen had mental health problems of her own and didn’t enjoy the ending of the book, but was pleased she found out what had happened to Lana. Abbie, thought from the book's description it was going to be a thriller so was a little disappointed.

After reading the first half, which concentrated on all the different characters and erratically jumped from one situation to another, I was about to give up on it, but I persevered and was rewarded by a story with true to life complexities of the parent-child relationship. I also then realised that Emma Healey’s clever writing style showed the worry and desperation of the mother, Jen, I too didn’t enjoy the cave part, as I found it a bit unrealistic and unlikely.

Overall, Anne Marie liked it best, and the rest of us thought it was OK. It was only available in hardback, and we all liked the bookbinding, but not surprising as Emma Healey’s first degree was in bookbinding!

 We rewarded it a 3-star rating.

Next meeting: The Victoria Bar and Kitchen, 6th September, 6.30pm.

Book List: TBC