Review: The Whisperer

The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Strange one this. Despite being a fan of all things Italian, and despite The Whisperer apparently being hugely successful in Europe, I was unaware of both this book and the author until a friend's recommendation. It is advertised as a 'literary' thriller which sometimes means no plot, but it kept me intrigued to the end. There is a labyrinthine plot involving multiple abductions, and murders, and a team of suitably damaged experts attempting to solve the crimes which appear to be the work of a fiendishly clever serial killer. I felt it was not always plausible and the language is at times, not exactly stilted, but a little cold, a little 'off'. Whether this is the Carrisi's style or a result of the translation, I don't know but it adds a sense of strangeness to the novel which is accentuated by the lack of a sense of place; it is hard to determine where the action is taking place. Carrisi is Italian but the book does not feel Italian, nor do the characters have Italian names. If anything, it feels Scandinavian.

I set this aside to read on a trip to Rome, which is perhaps where my slight unease comes from - but it is not necessarily a bad thing. I will pick up another Carrisi, perhaps the one with Rome in the title - that should be Italian, right?

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