The Whispers

About the book

READ THE EXPLOSIVE NEW NOVEL FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE PUSH

‘An ending you’ll have to read twice to believe’ New York Times

‘A shimmering, visceral ride through the dark side of family, of community, of womanhood and mothering. She really is in a league of her own’ Lisa Jewell

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The incident happens in the middle of the night.

Whitney Loverly’s place: the grandest house on Harlow Street.

Friends, neighbours and the authorities gather to piece together the events of the last twenty-four hours.

There’s talk of secrets, lies. Betrayals.

Once the envy of all, is Whitney Loverly – CEO, wife, mother – about to fall?

Behind closed doors the whispering has started.

But where will it end?

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Readers are loving The Whispers

‘I'm taking several deep breaths after reading something that created intense emotional turmoil, leaving me gasping and in awe, rendering me speechless!’ ***** Reader Review

‘Gripping, shocking, intense, and hard to put down!’ ***** Reader Review

‘This book is deep, dark, unsettling, and a true character study of how women and couples really act behind closed doors - and how some get caught out in the open’ ***** Reader Review

‘This book had me completely enthralled from the very first page’ ***** Reader Review

‘This book is a remarkable masterpiece about motherhood, the challenges of being a capable woman’ ***** Reader Review

Praise for The Whispers

‘Unforgettable’ Claire Douglas

‘A beautifully observed exploration of what it means to be a woman’ Sarah Pearse

‘A cracking psychological thriller. Keeps you guessing to the final pages’ Heat

‘A punchy page-turner about motherhood, sacrifice and the huge expectations we force on to women’Good Housekeeping

‘I loved this book'' Miranda Cowley Heller

‘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

Praise for this book:

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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