Narrated by Shaun Grindell
Whisper is the second book in Garrett Leigh’s Skins series, and in it, we move away from London and into the West Country – specifically to the farm and horse sanctuary run by Joe Carter and his family. It’s a gentler, less-angsty story than Dream (the first book in the series), but although it’s certainly not without drama and the characters aren’t without their problems and hang-ups, I wasn’t as invested in the story or characters as I was in Dream – and I’m not sure if that was due to the issues I had with the narration or because of the story itself.
Harry Foster is the brother of Rhys (who continues to have the occasional hook-up with Dylan and Angelo from Dream), and is a highly successful and sought-after physiotherapist. His blog – on which he’s dubbed himself “Holistic Harry”- has a six-figure following, he has a full roster of clients and has recently signed a book deal, but the trouble is that not only is he tired, he’s lonely, his deadline is looming and he’s way behind with his writing. His agent suggests he goes on a writer’s retreat; that he holes up somewhere quiet for the next couple of months and concentrates on his writing – and although he’s not completely sold on the idea, Harry agrees. Which is how he ends up driving to a horse farm just outside Newquay in Cornwall where he’s planning to stay for the next ten weeks.
Joe Carter is running Whisper Farm pretty much single-handedly. His father is an alcoholic screw-up who lives elsewhere and his sister Emma has anxiety issues that often prevent her from leaving the cottage she shares with their mother, so although Joe has casual help for some of the more menial tasks around the place, when it comes to keeping the farm running, it’s all down to him. Money ‘s tight and there’s no sign of any immediate improvement – if anything, things are getting tighter – but even so, when Emma tells him that she’s arranged to rent out a room in the farmhouse to a guy from London, Joe isn’t too pleased. He knows it makes financial sense, but dislikes the idea of a total stranger – some poncy city boy – in the room that had belonged to his beloved grandfather.
Harry arrives to a less than warm welcome from Joe, but as the days pass, he begins to see just how much pressure Joe is under and realises that the other man’s gruff manner extends to everyone and not just to Harry. Gradually, he and Joe begin to spend time together, Harry helps out and learns to do things around the farm, and both of them open up and talk about things they’ve never told anyone else. But Harry’s life is in London and Joe’s is hundreds of miles away, so anything that happens between them over the summer is going to have an expiration date.
Their attraction heats up rather quickly, going from a cautious interest to insta-love in almost the blink of an eye, but they have chemistry in spades, and I enjoyed the level of trust built between them. Joe and Harry seem to be polar opposites, yet as the story progresses, they – and we – discover that they’ve far more in common than either of them at first thought. Stressed out, emotionally bruised and intensely lonely, both men yearn to make a genuine connection with someone, but relationships take time, something neither of them has ever really had to spare. Yet now, with each other, they find themselves willing and able to make time, and in so doing, find the sort of love and support they’ve been searching for. The author keeps the story moving and the tension building as we follow Joe and Harry through some animal rescues (and be prepared for some descriptions of the effects of neglect and cruelty on animals); as Harry has to confront his growing fears about his ability to finish a book about well-being and mental health when his own well-being and mental health aren’t in the greatest of shapes, and Joe is continually confronted with money worries and neglected and mistreated animals he doesn’t have space for but can’t turn away. I was engrossed by these parts of the story and loved the way Joe and Harry become each other’s constant, Harry providing a calming influence for Joe, and Joe helping Harry to face his own issues and insecurities.
But a false note is struck near the end when the plot takes a sharp turn into slightly bonkers territory and Joe reacts in a way that doesn’t make a great deal of sense. And while the HEA ties everything up in a nice bow, it’s just a bit too pat.
Having already listened to Dream, I was prepared to experience similar issues with Shaun Grindell’s narration – principally with the way he delivers the narrative portions in the story in an almost ‘sing-song’ manner. His intonation and inflection in dialogue are absolutely fine, but in narrative, they’re unnatural and he frequently puts the emphasis in the wrong place, or in some cases, emphasises too many words in a phrase, so that a sentence such as: “I turned my back on the horsebox and crossed the sand-dusted road” – where I’d expect two stresses (on the words “back” and “sand”), actually has four: “I turned my BACK on the HORSEbox and crossed the SAND-dusted ROAD.” (That’s the best way I can explain it in writing!) I’d imagined I’d be able to get past it more easily because I knew what to expect, but in fact, that wasn’t the case. I don’t know if it was the addition of the West Country accents for Joe and the other Cornish characters, or if there was more narrative than dialogue in Whisper, but that particular quirk was more noticeable here rather than less so. In other respects, Mr. Grindell acquits himself well; he’s an experienced narrator, so his pacing, vocal characterisation and differentiation are good, and his Cornish accent, while perhaps a bit generic, is consistent and easy to understand. But it’s pretty much impossible to hear past the weird emphasis and intonation, and I’m sure it impacted on my enjoyment of the story. I’ve discovered a new author to enjoy in Garrett Leigh, but I’m probably going to stick to reading her books in future.
Caz
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