Humour tempers Rachel Elliott’s sensitive handling of her troubled charactersIn her assured debut,which was longlisted for the Baileys prize, Rachel Elliott’s talent for capturing the revealing quirk in each of her troubled characters reflects her training as a psychotherapist. Miriam Delaney hasn’t left her house in three years and can only talk in whispers; she “believes she is crazy, or while everyone else is sane”. As she ventures into the world again,new discoveries enable her to interpret the “nonsensical poem” of her problems. “I dont know which is more terrifying, she thinks – believing you’re alone in the world, and discovering that you’re not.” Alongside Miriam’s story rush those of unhappily married Ralph and Sadie Swoon,their teenage sons, former lovers and many cameos, and including – my favourite – an insomniac who goes to the supermarket at 3am dressed as a panda. Humour always tempers Elliotts handling of emotion as she points to eccentricities manifest in us all while we struggle to approach to terms with past decisions and missed opportunities. As her characters gain deeper understandings of themselves,and our heroine gets a megaphone, there is hope that everybody can find their own voice.• To order Whispers Through a Megaphone for £7.37 (RRP £8.99) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0. Free UK p&p over £10, and online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99.
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Source: theguardian.com