Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Whistle in the Dark: A Novel
    Whistle in the Dark: A Novel
    Whistle in the Dark: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Whistle in the Dark: A Novel

    Written by Emma Healey

    Narrated by Julia Deakin and Laura Aikman

    3.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Emma Healey follows the success of her #1 internationally bestselling debut novel Elizabeth Is Missing, winner of the Costa First Novel Award, with this beautiful, thought-provoking, and psychologically complex tale that affirms her status as one of the most inventive and original literary novelists today.

    Jen and Hugh Maddox have just survived every parent’s worst nightmare.

    Relieved, but still terrified, they sit by the hospital bedside of their fifteen-year-old daughter, Lana, who was found bloodied, bruised, and disoriented after going missing for four days during a mother-daughter vacation in the country. As Lana lies mute in the bed, unwilling or unable to articulate what happened to her during that period, the national media speculates wildly and Jen and Hugh try to answer many questions.

    Where was Lana? How did she get hurt? Was the teenage boy who befriended her involved? How did she survive outside for all those days? Even when she returns to the family home and her school routine, Lana only provides the same frustrating answer over and over: ""I can’t remember.""

    For years, Jen had tried to soothe the depressive demons plaguing her younger child, and had always dreaded the worst. Now she has hope—the family has gone through hell and come out the other side. But Jen cannot let go of her need to find the truth. Without telling Hugh or their pregnant older daughter Meg, Jen sets off to retrace Lana’s steps, a journey that will lead her to a deeper understanding of her youngest daughter, her family, and herself.

    A wry, poignant, and masterfully drawn story that explores the bonds and duress of family life, the pain of mental illness, and the fraught yet enduring connection between mothers and daughters, Whistle in the Dark is a story of guilt, fear, hope, and love that explores what it means to lose and find ourselves and those we love.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 24, 2018
    ISBN9780062798756
    Author

    Emma Healey

    Emma Healey grew up in London where she studied for her first degree in bookbinding. She then worked for two libraries, two bookshops, two art galleries and two universities, before completing an MA in Creative Writing at the University East Anglia. Her first novel, Elizabeth is Missing, was published to critical acclaim in 2014, became a Sunday Times (London) bestseller and won the Costa First Novel Award. She lives in Norwich, England with her husband and daughter.

    Related to Whistle in the Dark

    Related audiobooks

    Literary Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Minders

      Oct 7, 2020

      RELEASED OUT NOW! 448 pages | Paperback/ebook/audiobook Author John Marrs Publisher Del Rey John Marrs’s latest near future, high-concept techno-thriller isn’t so much a sequel to The One (DNA dating app has dark secret) and Passengers (autonomous ca

      1 min read

    • Article

      Ninth House

      Oct 9, 2019

      RELEASED OUT NOW! 450 pages | Hardback/ebook/audiobook Author Leigh Bardugo Publisher Gollancz Fantasy writers were fascinated by schools and colleges long before Harry Potter caught the train to Hogwarts, and it’s fairly easy to draw up a list of th

      1 min read

    • Article

      Reaching OUT

      Jan 17, 2024

      Reaching OUT
      6 min read

    • Article

      Why These Children Fell into Endless Sleep

      Sep 22, 2021

      I had barely stepped foot over the threshold and I already felt claustrophobic. I wanted to turn back. People shuffled into the room in front of me, while somebody else stood directly behind me, a little too close. It felt hard to escape. I could see

      12 min read

    • Article

      A New Beginning

      Mar 25, 2022

      A New Beginning
      5 min read

    • Article

      Dirty John: The Real Thing

      Oct 2, 2017

      LOS ANGELES - Their first date was at Houston's, a restaurant in Irvine where he opened the door for her and put her napkin on her lap. Candles flickered along the polished-mahogany bar; jazz drifted from speakers; conversation purred. Debra Newell h

      10 min read

    • Article

      At Life’s End, an Unconventional Therapy Puts a Woman at Ease

      Jan 5, 2018

      Nothing was ever easy in this woman’s life. She felt trapped — trapped in a life with the wrong parents, surrounded by the wrong people, and, as a result, she had a pregnancy with the wrong man for her and her child. But some lives are fulcrums on wh

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Lady In WHITE

      Oct 18, 2023

      The Lady In WHITE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Why Was She Stealing Photos Of My Little Girl?

      Jan 10, 2023

      Ringing the bell with all the strength of her little fist, my brave girl, Jorja, beamed at everyone on the ward. Alongside her dad Lee, then 27, we chanted the words we’d longed to say. ‘I ring this bell, three times well, its toll clearly says, my t

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Plagues Steph Cha

      Sep 29, 2020

      The Plagues Steph Cha
      9 min read

    • Article

      Heatstroke

      Jun 8, 2020

      Languid. The word that formed in Rachel’s mind was languid. The figure on the lawn was languid. Its limbs were loose, its joints fluid. Its hands and feet seemed too heavy for the bones that held them. It was draped over the sun lounger, dripping fro

      5 min read

    • Article

      As A Matriarch’s Days Draw To A Close, A Vision Comes Calling

      Oct 10, 2017

      The dying often see death rendered in the visage of a loved one or kind stranger offering safe passage — and that is a true gift.

      3 min read

    • Article

      What Did Daddy Do?

      Aug 13, 2020

      What Did Daddy Do?
      4 min read

    • Article

      Moving On

      Dec 22, 2019

      Moving On
      4 min read

    • Article

      Wixley WONDER

      Oct 19, 2022

      Lucy pulled her car into a lay-by at the top of the hill and gazed at the view below her. The small town stretched out along the banks of the river, surrounded by hills and fields, peaceful and welcoming in the sunshine. Ever since she’d seen the jo

      11 min read

    • Article

      In A Spin! !

      May 14, 2020

      In A Spin! !
      3 min read

    • Article

      1 Tequila … Floor!

      Feb 16, 2023

      1 Tequila … Floor!
      5 min read

    • Article

      Just A Week And A Day

      Nov 23, 2023

      Just A Week And A Day
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Almadraba

      Sep 1, 2018

      The Almadraba
      14 min read

    • Article

      Tequila Slammer

      Sep 7, 2023

      Grabbing my coat, I glanced round, giving a nod and smile to the regular customers. ‘See you later,’ I called out to them. As my partner Neil, 49, and I headed outside and the pub door swung shut behind us, I felt excited. I’d always worked in pubs,

      6 min read

    • Article

      Timespiral

      Feb 1, 2020

      Timespiral
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Nurse’s Coronavirus Routine: Recording Videos She Hopes Her Family Will Never Need To Watch

      Apr 3, 2020

      Anticipating a call to treat #coronavirus patients in the ICU, a Seattle nurse makes videos for her family — just in case she doesn't come home one day.

      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Whistle in the Dark

    3.5/5

    57 ratings7 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      The characters are well written and the interplay between the characters is very believable. I loved the humor and playful dialogue as well. Some parts made me laugh out loud.
    • 5/5
      Whistle in the Dark is the study of the relationship between a mother and a daughter, Jen and Lana. The book begins when Lana has just been found after being missing for four days. She's 15 but a grown up 15, struggling with depression. Jen is, understandably, incredibly pleased that Lana is safe but it leads Jen to question everything, especially as Lana won't say where she has been. Jen is anxious, paranoid, het up and she becomes obsessed with knowing what happened. Lana, on the other hand, is determined that it what happened is over and done with and she doesn't want to dwell on it.I loved Emma Healey's debut, Elizabeth is Missing, but I don't remember coming to the end of it and feeling quite like I do now. Whistle in the Dark is an extraordinary novel, both beautifully written and incredibly insightful. I thought Healey's portrayal of what it's like to be the mother, the daughter and the other daughter, the one that feels like she's in the shadow of the one that gets all the attention, was superb. What's clever too is that she made me see it from all angles and what was clear was that nobody was right or wrong, it's just about learning to understand others' feelings whilst also preserving your own.This is a family drama, a story of tension within families, of trying to do your best and still feeling like you're failing. I felt so sorry for Jen, suffocating Lana with her intensity and her inability to let anything go, especially given that Lana knows Jen's weaknesses and plays on them. In fact, I did consider the fact that Lana was almost bullying Jen. But then, I considered Lana's state of mind, her difficulty, her teenage-ness and it was clear that she was coping in the only way she could. I should just mention Hugh here, Jen's husband, Lana's father. He and Meg, Lana's much older sister (by 11 years) are the steadying influences, the rocks, the foundations of the family. As a whole, the family are absolutely fascinating. There are a few other characters but it is this foursome around which the whole story revolves.Whilst not a comedy by any means, this is a book that has dry wit written through it like a stick of Blackpool rock. It had me guffawing many times or smiling wryly to myself. Healey is a very talented writer, one that made me feel all the emotions. Whistle in the Dark is full of depth and beautifully written. I loved it.
    • 4/5
      This novel that shares even the most venal and paranoid thoughts of the narrator begins with the miraculous return of a teenaged girl who had disappeared for four days while on a plen air painting jaunt with her mother. Jen, the mom, has a loving and sexually charged relationship with her husband, but daughter Lana has been cutting herself and been miserable and angry for some time before she goes missing. Even though she is found, Lana's relationship with Jen becomes even more fraught as she recovers and refuses to answer any questions about her absence. Jen is wildly imaginative and paranoid and sees otherworldly collusion in every corner. It's too long by about 50 pages, but there's a totally satisfactory ending in store for readers who can stick it out.Quote: "She'd watched the other women, watched them wincing as they shifted in their chairs, or hobbled to the bathroom. They'd looked so shattered, so bruised, while their husbands had spring-stepped about, showing the babies to their relatives, rosily pleased. It was disturbing to Jen that one half of each couple had become a sacrifice, and she didn't want to be a sacrifice."
    • 3/5
      This had the feel of a magical realism novel throughout most of it, and I feel it would have been better if it actually was.
    • 3/5
      Jen and Hugh are relieved when their daughter, Lana, is found after being missing for four days. However, as time goes on, problems begin to crop up. They are confused by the fact that Lana can't remember anything about where she was. Jen is afraid Lana was taken by someone and was the victim of abuse, but there are no signs of this. Finding the answer becomes an obsession for Jen and her focus on getting answers from Lana becomes overwhelming. I almost quit reading this book a few times, but I was glad I stuck with it because the ending makes the middle slog worthwhile.
    • 3/5
      After four tense days, a massive police search ends when the missing girl, 15-year-old Lana Maddox, is discovered wandering in a field not far from where she was last seen. Bloodied and disoriented, she is treated in hospital and then reunited with her parents, Jen and Hugh, who take her back to their home in London. This is how Whistle in the Dark, Emma Healey’s follow-up to her wildly successful prize-winning first novel, Elizabeth is Missing, begins. The novel is narrated by Jen Maddox, who spends the next several months trying by any means she can think of to discover where Lana spent those four days and what she was doing. For her part, Lana claims not to remember anything other than scant snippets from the moments leading up to the disappearance. Jen and Lana had been on holiday together in England’s Peak District, in Derbyshire in the East Midlands, painting and sketching outdoors with a varied group of artistically inclined holiday goers. Lana says she got out of bed in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and lost her way while trying to return to her room. Lana’s refusal of a rape kit, together with her claim that nothing happened, has put a damper on police interest in the case, and even Hugh is content to simply have her back and is willing to give her all the time she needs to open up. And so Jen’s investigation into her daughter’s disappearance is a solo venture, upon which she embarks with an uncomfortable mixture of trepidation and eagerness, watching her daughter’s every move, pestering her with the same questions over and over again, following her literally and on social media, violating her privacy on numerous occasions and at times exhibiting sufficient recklessness to give the people closest to her cause for concern. Jen’s extreme protectiveness is not necessarily unreasonable, given that Lana has a history of depression and self-harm, and is generally withdrawn and secretive. The novel charts in great detail Jen’s often clumsy and sometimes laughable attempts to gain Lana’s trust in order to get to the bottom of a mystery that refuses to loosen its grip on her. Whistle in the Dark is a compelling, moving and sometimes disturbing portrait of a woman desperate to shield her daughter from dangers she sees lurking around every corner. Indeed, how can anyone place limits on a mother’s love for her daughter, especially one who seems so vulnerable and unprepared for life in a perilous and deceitful modern world? It is, however, for the reader, a somewhat claustrophobic journey that we take with Jen Maddox, during which we cannot be blamed for sometimes wishing that she would just put the past behind her and get on with her life. The narrative also tends to repeat a similar note of anxious desperation, and there is some situational duplication among the episodes. These concerns aside, there is no doubt that Emma Healey is a gifted, fearless and observant writer. Her prose is always enjoyable: lush, elegant, abounding with passages of sustained beauty. Whistle in the Dark, while not as tightly written and suspenseful as her first novel, is also a different kind of work and should be approached on its own terms. It is fair to say though, that, based on her first two books, Emma Healey is a force (and voice) to be reckoned with: a master of psychologically probing fiction who is quickly moving into the front ranks of English novelists.
    • 4/5
      Emma Healey's debut novel, Elizabeth is Missing was a fantastic read for me. I was eager to see what her newest book, Whistle in the Dark, held in store.Jen and her teenaged daughter Lana go on an artist's retreat as a mother/daughter getaway. Lana goes missing but is thankfully found four days later. Grateful to have her back, Jen does not press her as to what happened, who took her or where she was. As Lana slowly heals from her injuries, her answer is always 'I can't remember.'The police have no answers either. Jen cannot let it be - she needs to know what happened to her daughter, so she begins her own investigation.While the question of what happened to Lana is the driving force behind Whistle in the Dark, it is about much more that that. The mother/daughter relationship is foremost. Healey's depiction is unsettling and somewhat dark. While I felt uncomfortable with some of Jen's parenting, there is no one template for the 'right' way to raise a child. Especially a child suffering from depression. Jen's husband and older daughter are also part of the story, but with a lesser impact. We do get to know Jen more through her own introspection. But again, I worried about some of her actions and decisions. I had a hard time connecting with her and found myself not sympathizing with her as much as I felt I should. She too has her own issues.As the book neared the final pages, it confirmed what I thought might have happened to Lana. Spoiler avoidance - Healey's ending is a good metaphor for both Jen and Lana's struggles.Whistle in the Dark was quite different from Elizabeth is Missing for this reader. Both explore relationships, memories, actions and reactions. This one was a bit of a slower read for me, more literary. But, Healey has a way with words.