“She sits on the bench and tries to gather herself. She has heard this phrase a lot, gather yourself, but what does it mean? Is the self a collection of visible parts that can be pulled together in preparation for something or reassembled after a breakage? Miriam spends half an hour thinking about what it might be like to accidentally on purpose mix up the components of herself with those of another person - a woman, perhaps, who is also in the middle of gathering herself, a woman who has left the pieces of her character scattered on the grass in this small park…”

Whispers Through a Megaphone is the first novel by British author, Rachel Elliott. The story, told through a straight narrative interspersed with tweets from various people, throws together a myriad of very different characters and elements, a sample of which are: a thirty-five-year-old woman who speaks only in whispers, and has not left her home for three years; a gardener-turned-psychotherapist who discovers on his thirty-seventh birthday that his marriage is not what he thought it was; a wife who tweets her whole life.

Also important are: a red and white megaphone; a handful of cryptic postcards; a quirky but supportive friend; a young man who cannot ignore the family secret he has overheard; a boy with a Dr Who passion; a helpful neighbour in a red velour tracksuit; a couple of old flames; a pair of very different twins; a ginger cat named Treacle; a cruel and crazy mother, now deceased; an absent father; and a shack in the woods.

Elliott takes the reader on a slightly bizarre roller-coaster ride that involves quite a few twists and turns before ultimately coming to a heart-warming conclusion. Even though this novel is written by a British author, the narrative has a somewhat American feel to it. This outstanding debut novel is funny, clever and even a bit thought-provoking.