Whispers in a Phone Booth: A Depression-Era Tale of Danger and Deception
Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)
Whispers in a Phone Booth: A Depression-Era Tale of Danger and Deception,
a stirring new novel from the author of The First Wolf Pack: A Dog’s Fable
As World War I ravages Europe, two beautiful and courageous teenage sisters make a miraculous escape to America from their bitter lives in Poland, thanks to their selfless mother.
They settle with their aunt in an immigrant enclave on the north side of Chicago. It’s the same neighborhood where two gifted young men, a steelworker and a pharmacist, proceeded them just as war exploded upon the Continent.
Soon the sisters’ lives diverge. The older sister, Martha, moves out of town telling her younger sister, Helen, to go to hell. But after sixteen years of estrangement, Martha unexpectedly sends Helen a letter offering reconciliation, soon returning to Chicago to see her sister and her family. Helen’s teenage son, Wally, quickly falls under the captivating spell of his mysterious and glamorous aunt.
After Martha’s visit, the neighborhood is beset by two perfect, high-profile robberies, leaving the police baffled. Only secrets whispered in a pharmacy’s phone booth, if shared in time, might save Martha, Wally, and many others from the very incarnation of evil. But can the enigmatic outcast who overhears the secrets, accept the devastating personal consequences of letting the whole truth become known?
Plot/Idea: 7 out of 10
Originality: 7 out of 10
Prose: 6 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 7.00 out of 10
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Reed’s historical tale begins with a hurried escape from an alcoholic father for teenage sisters Martha and Helen, bound from their home in Poland to the call of freedom on Ellis Island. From there, Reed takes readers on a transformative journey through hardship, determination, and family secrets, centered on Helen’s son, Wally, and his life growing up as the child of immigrants in Chicago. Reed ties numerous stories into Wally’s arc, and the perspective jumps at times become dizzying.
Prose: The prose is efficient and educational, though Reed’s more formal style leads to stilted dialogue in several places.
Originality: Whispers in a Phone Booth delivers as much history as it does plot, gifting readers with a glimpse of 20th century life from the perspective of multiple nations and people—a choice that, though informative, detracts from the story’s excitement.
Character/Execution: Reed crafts his characters with obvious care and attention to detail, while connecting some to well-known historical figures; the preface identifies that a handful of characters are based off his own family members. Despite the large cast, main players are easy to track; Wally stands out as a multilayered, intense protagonist, and his relationship with his traumatized aunt Martha is compelling—and disturbing—to watch.
Date Submitted: April 09, 2024
