Since she was twelve, Meriel Garland has lived with her grandfather in London, exiled from her beloved India following the death of her mother. Now sixteen, Meriel chafes against the strict regime of tests and study that her grandfather imposes on her.

Escaping, she discovers a world outside her narrow existence – one that promises admiration for her acting skills, social success and the dark mysteries of seances. Disbelieving at first, she is drawn in when the young medium Sophie Casson passes on a message apparently from beyond the grave – and Meriel begins to suspect she might not be alone in the world after all. In searching for the truth about her past, Meriel uncovers a sinister scheme – and soon it’s hard to know who she can really trust.

‘Whisper My Name’ is the second novel from the wonderful Jane Eagland. Told in first person, our story follows the journey of teenage Meriel as she struggles to unravel the mystery of her past and find her place in the world. Add to this just the right amount of paranormal activity and you have yourself a great and chilling novel that will keep you up reading until the small hours of the morning.

Characters: This book had some fantastic characterisation. Meriel was self absorbed and petulant at times but due to the way Eagland writes, we realise why she is this way and instead of being annoyed with her you completely sympathise for this poor girl who finds herself in some very difficult situations. I really grew to care for Meriel. In fact, I grew to care for most of the characters in this book. Even Meriel’s grandfather who is more or less the antagonist of the story gained my sympathy. For me it is always a great sign of a good book when characters don’t easily fit into categories of good and bad. Each character also acted like they belonged in the era, which isn’t the case for some historical novels.

Originality: I loved the premise of this book and the mixture of historical fiction, mystery and the paranormal was excellent and done in a way that I had not read before. One thing that was very original for this type of book was that it didn’t completely rely on it’s paranormal aspect to provide all the answers to the things that our main character was searching for. It merely hinted at things through the messages that her psychic friend Sophie would recieve and then it was up to Meriel to find its hidden meaning and the answers that she longs for.

Plot: This was a great and eerie story set in a believable Victorian backdrop. I really enjoyed the plot and how it unravelled throughout the book. It was more intricate than it first seemed and it had me guessing (wrongly) as each new revelation came up. It was both tragic and beautiful and the same time and I loved how the ending wasn’t a ‘happily ever after’ ending for all the characters but instead left us with a hope and confidence that everything would be alright and as it should be. 

Writing: Eagland’s writing is fantastic. One of her strong points is definitely the way she writes her characters and brings them to life. No character felt like a plot device and each and every one had story which I loved. Her ability to write how her main character was feeling at all times allows us to understand Meriel so much that you felt like you know her and you are truly invested in her outcome. The writing also felt true to the time period which made the story feel authentic and you can tell that a lot of research went into it.

David’s Writing: This was an great, character driven story set in one of my favourite time periods. With an interesting plot and some great writing to pull it off I found myself lost in the pages. This was my first taste of Eagland’s writing and it certainly won’t be my last. Definitely one for the Christmas list.