The Whistling
By Rebecca Netley
Blurb
Alone in the world, Elspeth Swansome has taken the position of nanny to a family on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea.
Her charge, Mary, is a strange child. Distracted and secretive, she hasn't uttered a word since the sudden death of her twin, William - just days after their former nanny disappeared.
With her charge defiantly silent, Elspeth turns to the islanders. But no one will speak of what happened to William.
Just as no one can explain the hypnotic lullabies sung in empty corridors.
Nor the strange dolls that appear in abandoned rooms.
Nor the faint whistling that comes in the night . . .
As winter draws in and passage to the mainland becomes impossible, Elspeth finds herself trapped.
But is this house haunted by the ghosts of the past?
OR THE SECRETS OF THE LIVING..?
Chilling, twisty and emotionally gripping, The Whistling is an atmospheric page-turner with shades of the classics, yet a unique character of its own. Perfect for fans of Susan Hill and Laura Purcell.
Our Review
If you are planning to read The Whistling then you also need to plan to have someone feed your kids and warn your loved ones you may not shower or communicate for the duration.
The Whistling is set in 1860 and begins with Elspeth arriving by boat on the beautiful island of Skelthsea.
Elspeth has arrived on the island to by a nanny for a young girl named Mary who has recently lost her twin brother William. Elspeth sympathises with Mary as she has recently lost her much treasured sister.
Elspeth is unaware initially that her charge hasn’t spoken a word since her brother’s untimely death, and nobody likes to talk of the circumstances around it.
She soon realises that “All is not well at Iskar.” Mary sleepwalks and has endless nightmares, there are rumours about witchcraft and despite not believing in the supernatural Elspeth feels as though their may be a presence in the house.
Elspeth feels herself growing closer to Mary but like the rest of the inhabitants of the house she feels something is being hidden from her and that she knows more about the mysterious noises and sights within the house than she is letting on.
“I was a rational being. I did not believe in the supernatural and yet I was being presented with things I could not explain – the sounds, the odd glimpses of something that should not be there.”
Readers will accompany Elspeth through every twist and turn of this wonderful read.
The Whistling is an eerie gothic novel that gave of The Woman in Black vibes. I couldn’t stop myself reading it and there were definitely moments that gave me the creeps.
Our Final Rating...
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