#writers house

The Whisper Network

by Chandler Baker

Once I had turned the final page of The Whisper Network, I revisited how the book was categorized. How was this page-turning whodunnit and what was actually done catalogued? Was this a thriller? A piece of literary fiction? A crime novel? Adult fiction? What I found it under was “Women’s Fiction.” 

Hm.  Then I wondered, is there a “Men’s Fiction” section?

When I started reading the book, I didn’t know what I was getting into, ostensibly a high-functioning office politics drama. But The Whisper Network is delightfully decadent and also so literary that I found myself highlighting passages because they rang so true. This has become more of a rarity in my experience of crime-type dramas and so-called “women’s fiction.” Books of this ilk tend to sacrifice savvy for salaciousness and three-dimensional characters for two-sided arguments. This book does neither. It creates a complex tapestry of the inner workings of a corporation, particularly the legal department - an apt department indeed, considering sexual harassment becomes the topic of debate. Where better to hash it out than amongst the best legal council possible? 

And yet, this plot makes the arguments regarding sexual harassment and power in the workplace that much more nuanced. Because if a list were to surface - say, a list of individuals to avoid in your career - would you take it an a gift and sidestep? Or would you see it as an offense against said individuals’ possibly very reputable characters? 

And I simply could not put it down. I couldn’t wait to see what happened to our varied heroines as they navigated the muddy waters of their careers. Because in those moments, they were us - waffling, debating, discerning, hashing, taking action, failing, and regretting, - plotting, researching, networking, investigating, reflecting, discovering, raging and triumphing. And so the craftiest bit of the novel is this - a device I cannot recall having seen - or, read. The book shifts regularly to first person plural. 

What? the Literary geek in you exclaims. 

Yes, “we” are included for whole chapters. And with each “we” it’s possible I’ve been manipulated into reading on and on, or it’s possible “we” includes me in the war so I don’t feel so alone in my own. But in the end, we don’t care one way or another, because just like in life, we don’t feel like there’s anywhere to go but forward.

*B3 received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Dream Daughter

by Diane Chamberlain

I have been trying to pin down exactly what is so unique about this genre-crossing piece. As a time travel story, it bleeds from sci-fi into a domestic tale into a historical reexamination. It is a reinvented Time Traveler’s Wife with a mother/ daughter relationship at its center, steeped in the conflicted history of Vietnam.  I read it over the course of a few afternoons, but now, weeks later,  I think I’ve finally teased out what is so insightful and perspective-altering about The Dream Daughter:

Itbegins in the past.

So many time travel stories begin in the present and the characters revisit the past or leap to the future. In this, our protagonist’s present is the past and as a result, we as readers are immersed in an entirely different storytelling perspective.

This is one for which the cover doesn’t feel quite right for some reason, so don’t judge this book by its cover.  It’s deeper, more nuanced and more timeless than the image suggests.

Diane Chamberlain plots twists and reveals across the span of half a century. Surprising, unexpected, and thoroughly enjoyable, The Dream Daughter will appeal to light historical fiction and light sci-fi fans alike.

*B3 would like to thank @stmartinspress for the ARC!