Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis was provided by Around the World Tours and is set to be released April 27, 2010 by Balzer + Bray.Joy has grown up listening to other people's desires and not in the conventional manner. Joy can Hear what others desire. It's a kind of telepathy that has been passed down through the female generations of her family. Both Joy and her older sister Jessica ("Icka") have this ability but neither of them use it the same way. Joy likes to do just what her name suggests, she Hears people's desires and finds joy in giving them what they want. Icka can't seem to Hear anything but the worst from people, which is why she is an outcast in society. She can't seem to make or keep friends because of her Hearing issue.
Icka received her nickname due to her foul attitude. And this foul attitude has gotten on Joy's last nerve. After years of ruined birthdays, the family has decided that this year is going to be different and disaster-free. Of course Icka manages to get some jabs in that morning, causing ruffled feathers among Joy's friends. This is the straw that breaks Joy's back. She tracks her sister down and blows up at her, making sure that Icka understands that she never wants to see, hear, or Hear her sister again.
So when Icka doesn't come home that evening, Joy is content to be placated by her mother's explanation that Icka has gone to visit a local college. But by the next morning, following random clues, Joy realizes that Icka's not okay. And that she might just get her wish never to see Icka again. Now, with her newly-discovered, juvenile deliquent confidant, Joy must rush to find Icka before her sister does something to permanently silence the Whispers.
I must say that this was a spectacular book! I really enjoyed this form of telepathic communication as it was different than many of the others that I've read about in these types of books. It's not exactly reading the mind because it specifically focuses in on just desires. I'm also a really big fan of genealogical gifts, especially when it's one that the character has had to grow in to and deal with. I find giving characters phenomenal power that they've never even heard of tends to be hard to pull off convincingly.
I really liked these characters, even the mean ones, because they just seemed so familiar. I have actually met people like them and could believe their interactions. Most of the time, for me, I can at least identify most of the characters, but I have trouble believing their interactions. Some writers only get some of the interactions right (mostly the familial ones) but have trouble with different personalities. I found that most of the main personality types that exist were represented in this book and interacted accordingly. Such a joy not to go, "A shy person would never do that!"
The story was quite well done, although for someone who just wants to make other's happy, Joy is awfully trusting. I mean she runs off with a guy she barely knows (and by barely I mean she noticed him like 3 days before) to save her sister. Although the explanation behind why they trust each other so intensely so quickly is very interesting, but to get that scoop you'll have to read the book. A delightful pleasure, filled with things that actually make you think about relationships and personal dynamics, Whisper is a winner!
