THE WHISPERING

A paranormal suspense novel in which a woman must protect herself.

After dealing with a family history of tragedy and two stays at a psychiatric hospital, Cadie finally feels safe for once in her life. That stability comes in the form of Oliver, the psychiatrist who saved her and with whom she fell in love. After getting engaged, the two move to Oliver’s historical family estate in the remote woods of Salem, a “house shielded in a forest of trees but probably not guarded from centuries of sinister vibes.” Soon unsettling, supernatural incidents start happening to her. Cadie meets a menacing woman in black with a large dog, as well as a woman in white with no mouth. Disturbing whispers flood her head. Worst of all, Oliver believes none of what she tells him. He writes off her encounters as signs of her worsening mental state and grows increasingly frustrated, even threatening to put Cadie back in the hospital. Although she wants to trust the man who’s supported her, increasingly disturbing discoveries about the house and Oliver himself force Cadie to reconsider her faith in the doctor. Interspersing Cadie’s firsthand account with the perspectives of past victims, Detwiler has constructed a compelling commentary on ways in which powerful men manipulate women, while grounding her novel in the tradition of feminist Gothic literature. Although some plot reveals border on being predictable, especially to genre veterans, Cadie’s plight is both harrowing and sympathetic. Readers may catch certain red flags early on, but Cadie has been conditioned to question her own judgment (“A monster wouldn’t be this loving, right?”). The protagonist’s gradual journey of reclaiming agency—and unearthing the stories of past women who were silenced—form the narrative’s core.

A dark, thought-provoking feminist tale.