novel WENDIGO WHISPERS by Alex McGilvery reviewed by Elma Schemenauer

Leigh Dalrymple hears voices in her head. The novel WENDIGO WHISPERS begins by describing them: "The voices in her head wouldn't have been nearly so bad if they just made sense. A discordant children's chorus instead of words, sometimes they were barely audible and other times they drowned out even her own thoughts."

 

A doctor prescribes a powerful cocktail of drugs that keep Leigh's voices away and help her cope with her life as a teacher. When she and her husband move to the fictional town of Spruce Bay in northern Manitoba, Leigh falls in love with her class of grade threes. They're a lively, imaginative group of "white, Cree and others." They love her and she does well with them.

 

But social issues plague Spruce Bay. In the words of the novel, " There are a lot of lost and hopeless people in the town." Some seek solace in alcohol or drugs; some shirk their responsibilities as parents. As a result, "feral" (wild) children roam the streets, many suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome and/or the effects of having drug-addicted parents.

 

Along with her police-officer husband, Leigh works hard to help children and their parents, and "make hope real again." But when somebody steals Leigh's medication, the voices rush back into her head, and life spirals out of control. A Cree grandmother says there's a "dark spirit" inside Leigh. The grandmother, or kohkom, seeks to counteract it with traditional Cree remedies and spirituality. Between the grandmother's ministrations and a (delayed) renewal of Leigh's prescription, her mental state improves.

 

However, external forces are out to get Leigh. Powerful people in the community—people in positions of trust, who should know and do better—exploit feral children. They get the children to do their dirty work for them because the kids are too young to be charged with criminal offences. There's big money to be made, especially in the drug trade. The most nefarious of these unscrupulous characters says of Leigh, "This is the bitch that caused all our problems, making people care. Offering hope to the poor children."

 

I'll leave you as a reader discover how the conflict plays out. It's a rough ride but I think the story will keep you interested, thinking, and caring. The novel is well-plotted and fast-paced with strong characterization and flashes of wry humour. I would have liked to see references to Christian and maybe other religious influences, which would probably exist in a community like Spruce Bay. Also, the novel could have used more proofreading, but otherwise I give WENDIGO WHISPERS and its author high marks. The book is the first in the Spruce Bay series. The other two are CRY OF THE WHITE MOOSE and DISPUTED ROCK. They're all available on Amazon, or from https://books2read.com/ap/x2o0ZR/Alex-McGilvery, or from the author, Alex McGilvery at celticfrog@live.com .