Frances Hardinge (Deeplight; A Face Like Glass) and Emily Gravett (10 Cats; Bear and Hare Share) present an alluring, immersive middle-grade fantasy about grief and loss in Island of Whispers.
The Dead on the island of Merlank tend to linger, often missing their moment to depart from the world. Fourteen-year-old Milo, whose father is the Ferryman who ushers the wandering Dead from our world, is not cut out for his father's job: "In the presence of the Dead, his mind spiraled out of control." But Milo is forced to take the reins when his father is killed by the men of a lord desperate to prevent his daughter's spirit from leaving the living world. A mourning and unprepared Milo must make the journey to the Island of the Broken Tower, where the Dead cross over, to escort the girl's spirit to her final resting place. Along the way, Milo will face meddling magicians, regretful spirits, and moths that feed on grief as he comes to terms with his new role.
This impactful novella adeptly discusses regret, self-affirmation, greed, and grief while delivering a gothic, atmospheric story buoyed by ethereal, haunting imagery. Hardinge's visceral language--"people sloughed off their bodies like butterflies leaving cocoons"--melds perfectly with Gravett's evocative, blue-tinged black-and-white art. For example, Gravett portrays the mysterious mist that surrounds the island (with its "barely perceptible orchestra of almost-sounds") as an ever-present cloudlike essence. This author-illustrator pairing, with Hardinge's sparse, expressive prose and Gravett's eerie, striking illustrations, creates a touching story that will likely resonate for years to come. --Lana Barnes, freelance reviewer and proofreader