Whisper By
Phoebe Kitanidis
Phoebe Kitanidis
Rating
Pub. Date: April 2010 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Source: Author
Joy is used to Hearing Whispers. She's used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people's deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good—to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people's lives—especially Joy's—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears Jessica Whisper I want to kill my Hearing dead, and kill me too if that's what it takes, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car, and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.
Whisper is an exhilarating debut novel from talented newcomer Phoebe Kitanidis.
My Thoughts - Joy hears things, more specifically whispers. They surround her night and day. She see's this ability of her as a gift. This might be because it's also clear her mother is a big influence in her life who also happens to be a Whisperer. Joy has almost come to depend on the ability unlike her older sister Jessica who is an outcast and in her opinion a looser. Joy uses her ability to her advantage and has risen to the top of the clique and class. What was once a close bond between both sisters has now turned into a bitter relationship because somewhere along the line Joy decided to leave Jessica behind. Joy's so called friends are pretty much as fake as her.
I saw right through Joy and her friends from the very beginning, she had created this image and personality that wasn't even her whilst her older sister thought of her ability as a curse more than anything else. Jessica knows things that are being hidden from Joy, but they have grown so far apart at this point that even Jessica can''t reach her anymore.
There was something shady about their mother from the very beginning, I just got this feeling from her that lead me to believe that I couldn't trust her. As Whisper was a book that I had been anticipating for a long time it made the reading experience only more enjoyable. I was actually shocked at how fast I was devouring this book. I must have finished it within 2 hours or so.
Jessica comes across as; arrogant, hurtful and mean. Joy sees her as an embarrassment and wishes she would go away. At times I battled with my feeling towards Joy because I can be harsh with characters like that if i feel your wrong then I will just not like you. My instincts told me to dislike her but inside I knew there was more to her. I just needed to be patient with her.
At times I saw the pain in Jessica so clearly that it got to me that her own sister couldn't sense it. Jessica loves her so much and it was so clear to me, yet Joy couldn't see it or maybe she just didn't want to accept it. It seemed that it was easier for Joy to accept Jessica as the bad guy rather than to listen to her, I found that sad.
Meanwhile Jessica seems to be battling with her own demons, in a way one could say she is slightly damaged and on the road to self - destruction. Knowing too much can be painful not everyone wants to know every; horrible, disgusting or hurtful whisper, but in her case she has no choice but to listen. She has never come to terms with her ability. Her powers are stronger and unbearable and in her case she has no support. She feels alone and bitter. With her younger sister out of reach and parents who don't see her she has to face this on her own, but can she cope?
Lately Joy has been getting these unbearable headaches and the whispers are getting louder,but she has no idea what is going on. Jessica has tried to explain in her own way but she refuses to believe her because the last thing that Joy ever wants is to be a mess like her sister. Their father is pretty distant and in a way I don't blame him. For your family to have this ability apart from you, you are bound to feel like an outcast.
Through all of this Joy has recently met Ben who Parker also has her eyes on and outcast Jamie who seems to know more than he lets on. Things get even get more complicated when Jessica goes missing. Joy now has to come to terms with the truth that she has been neglecting and avoiding all her life, it will make her question everything including the people she loves, it will be the breaking point of a final decision, will she break free from the mother and security blanket or for the first time challenge herself and push boundaries to the extreme? Jessica is out there somewhere and for the first time it's down to Joy to do the saving.
I have to say U fell in love with this novel. The whole actual concept of hearing whispers is so fascinating and different from everything else out there that I found it refreshing. I liked that the author pretty much gave the reader the choice to decide if they liked Joy or not. She had her faults, yes, but also her fair share of redeeming qualities.
Jamie and Joy helped each other grow and grew stronger through one another and faced their fears together. I saw Joy grow and mature before me which may have just been one of the most rewarding experiences in the novel. Everyone makes mistakes but there is always room for second chances. Although this book is majorly sad at times if you look at the bigger picture you will find that it only makes everything all the more realistic. It's so easy to get lost in Joy's world that the best advice I could give you regarding this novel would be "Stay open minded, relax and enjoy"
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