This had some good writing and memorable (if unlikeable) characters. Some aspects felt a little too much or unnecessary, but overall, an ok read.

Miriam, an agoraphobic woman, is staying at home all the time. Ralph learns a shocking revelation about his partner. The two have a chance meeting and strike up a friendship, of sorts. The characters are lovable but damaged; each one has to overcome regret and decide if they will stagnate or grow. Miriam is a three dimensional person and not just the paper victim of a mentally ill parent. "I'm not agoraphobic. I'm not scared of public spaces." She has an entirely different reason for her self-imposed isolation.

Thank you to Steerforth Press for providing me with an advance copy of Rachel Elliott's novel, Whispers Through a Megaphone, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - Miriam was raised by a mentally-ill and abusive mother, who told Miriam that her father was dead. Using intimidation, Miriam's mother drilled into her the need to be quiet and as a result Miriam does not speak above a whisper. Now in her mid-thirties, Miriam's mother has died and Miriam has not left her home in three years. Miriam does not have any family left, but she is not alone. She has a childhood best friend who visits and urges Miriam to rejoin the world. She also has a next door neighbor who has been gathering his courage to ask her out on a date. In addition, Miriam has been receiving mysterious postcards from a stranger. 

When Miriam finally decides to leave her home, she walks in the woods and meets Ralph. Ralph's marriage is imploding and he has run away from his wife, Sadie, who has revealed that she no longer loves him. Can Ralph and Miriam help each other face their fears and change their lives?

LIKE- Miriam is a complex and intriguing character. She is truly a wonderful protagonist and it was effortless to root for her as she worked through her obstacles. Her backstory and terrible neglect are heartbreaking. Whispers Through a Megaphone has a lovely twist when we find out  who is responsible for the mysterious postcards and it makes for an emotional read. 

Ralph's story is given nearly as much weight as Miriam's, making him a dual protagonist. Like Miriam, it's easy to root for Ralph, especially as he has been dealt a rough hand. His storyline features themes of love, nostalgia, and regret. When their marriage is falling apart, Ralph and Sadie both seek out long-lost loves from their youth. Time does not stand-still and they are both shocked by what they find when they try to recapture what has been lost. As a cat lover, I was endeared to Ralph by his adopting the stray cat. It made his time in the woods seem a little less pitiful. 

DISLIKE- Whispers Through a Megaphone has too many storylines. The onslaught of characters and stories has the negative effect of overshadowing Miriam and Ralph. It's not that the other characters are less interesting, I just felt overwhelmed and unable to keep focus, like I kept getting yanked from one story and pulled into another. I would have liked a deeper focus on Miriam and on her backstory. I was left wanting to know more about her mother and her childhood. Miriam and Ralph are both rich characters to whom an entire story could have been dedicated and although their friendship is lovely, I wondered if it was necessary. 

RECOMMEND- Maybe. Elliott has created complex characters and a surprising story. There are many aspects of Whispers Through a Megaphone that I enjoyed, but the lack of focus and too many characters made the pacing sluggish. I'd definitely read Elliott's next novel, but I didn't absolutely love Whispers Through a Megaphone.

Miriam did something three years ago that has made her frightened to leave the house. On top of this, she is still dealing with the memories of her abusive and mentally ill mother. Ralph is depressed. He wants to be a gardener but is stuck as a psychotherapist. His wife Sadie is struggling with her relationship with her husband and her own sexuality. Then Ralph runs away from home and his own birthday party. Miriam decides that she is finally going to leave the house. The two have a chance meeting in the woods and find each other as unlikely supporters. Their friendship, how they deal with their individual issues, and the greater story around them make for a great read. Ms. Elliott tends her characters gently, lovingly, as she guides them through their difficulties and does an amazing job of presenting even the minor characters in true colors. Just a wonderful book!

The writing of this book is well done. The characters are well developed and interesting. The characters are very engaging, I would have to say hat Miriam is my favorite. he best way to describe this book is to say it is about 2 dysfunctional families, Ralph's family and Miriams family. This book is well written and very much worth a read.

There were times when I loved this book, and other times that made me cringe. It certainly contains quite a few different 'trigger subjects,' and might not be appropriate for anyone who has experienced past trauma. However, the characters were written beautifully, and I really enjoyed the way the characters' lives were intertwined. If you can handle the dark points of abuse, then you will enjoy this book.

This is a most unusual book! It is very quirky and yet believable. There are three main characters and they all have major issues to say the least. The male character feels lost and numb and has no idea what he wants from life, his wife has decided she wants to be with a woman that she went to college with and the third person was raised by a mother who would only let her speak in whispers and she has not stepped outside her home in three years. All of them have major changes to their norm and their lives become a little less bizarre. I would highly recommend this book for people who love to read fiction that is not cookie cutter. Its great!

Nominated for the Bailey Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2016 (which is a great way to discover books by the way), Ms. Eliot’s book is rich in both character and humor. A psychotherapist herself, her book showcases a depth and quirkiness that not many possess. Both Miriam and Ralph are battling their own issues, and Ms. Eliot takes what could be a dark and twisty book and makes it wonderfully humorous.
Miriam hasn’t left her house in 3 years, is immensely socially awkward, literally talks in whispers, and has suffered childhood trauma at the hands of a crazy and mostly absent mother (she was once found sweeping the corridors of Miriam’s school, naked). Being told to stay quiet all the time, Miriam has grown into an adult who whispers. She, however, does have some connection to the outside world through her friend, Fenella. The narrative truly begins when Miriam decides she wants to renter the normal world and do things like shopping and Zumba.
Ralph is the father of 16 year old twins, and is unhappily married to a closeted lesbian, Sadie. When one day he opens the doors of the closet, literally, and discovers that his wife never loved him, that he cannot relate to his sons, and that his life is a mess, he packs his bags and moves to a shack in the woods with a cat called Treacle. A chance meeting with Miriam leads to the start of an unlikely friendship, and the story of when Miriam met Ralph.
What I really loved about the book was the switch in perspectives – maintaining this shift without a narrational break is a difficult task, but Ms. Eliot manages it quite well. This is also where her background as a psychotherapist comes in play. Whispers through a Megaphone is written in a way which makes the reader delve into the psyche and the quirks of the human mind – and realise that at the end of the day, we all are a little dysfunctional.
It’s a great debut novel, and Ms. Eliot’s books (I’m hoping for more!) are going to be a regular feature on my bookshelf from now on. From the whimsical to the crazy, with a little bit of childhood abuse thrown in, Whispers through a Megaphone is a good read!

Definitely a quirky little book with extra quirky characters. I wasn't sure I would enjoy it at first, given the depth of some of the challenges faced by the characters, but Miriam and Ralph grew on me after a while. It's also very British but still very accessible to others. I like that the ending was a little unpredictable yet still very heartwarming.

Intriguing and quirky, sometimes charming novel of dysfunctional families. Miriam, at 35, speaks only in whispers - a product of an abusive mother. She hasn't left her house in three years and has decided to go outside. Ralph, who used to be a gardener and is now a psychotherapist, has decided his marriage is not what he wanted. Ralph's wife Sadie is addicted to tweeting and tweets everything in her life. Sadie has mixed emotions about her sexuality. A very interesting and though-provoking read! Congratulations to Rachel Elliott for her first novel!

Many thanks to Rachel Elliott, Steerforth Press ONE / Pushkin through NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.