The Whistling by Rebecca Netley published by Penguin is her debut novel.
Netley lives in the UK with her husband and children. She grew up in a house filled with books and music, which helped feed her passion for writing.
The Whistling is set in the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea in 1860, an appropriate setting for a ghost story, filled with strange and eerie events. Horror / ghost stories are not usually my thing, but the book is well-written and cleverly leads you into a story that the reader can believe is real. Yes, it was scary, and gripping at the same time. I read to the end, late at night to find out who / what was behind the sinister goings on.
The story begins with the arrival of a new Nanny, Elspeth Swansome, who is to look after Mary, a child who has been struck dumb by the loss of her twin brother, the previous nanny having left under strange and sudden circumstances.
The family lives in what was a grand old home, slowly going to ruin through lack of care and resources. The house is filled with secrets and shadows, shut-off rooms and weird night-time patrols serve to unnerve Elspeth as she tries to settle into her new position and get to know Mary better. There are strange whistling noises at night, and objects that appear. What do they mean? Mary’s aunt, her guardian, is also difficult to read, as is the help.
To make things more ominous, the island is cut off in winter from the mainland. There is nowhere to go when danger lurks. Elspeth tries to understand her charge better and determine what made her lose her voice. Is her deceased twin brother haunting them? Just how did he die? What happened to the nanny? Are there indeed powers beyond this realm at play?
The island setting is scary and filled with places that are both dangerous and haunting. Old traditions and fears abound that may just make things worse. Can Elspeth protect Mary, and survive the island?
The Whistling by Rebecca Netley is published by Penguin Random House UK – 2021. ISBN: 978-0-241-53400-7 - Christine E Hann
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