Whisper Network by Chandler Baker

Oh dear, where to start with this one.  I have so many issues with the way this story is told that I am really at a loss as to where I start reviewing it. 

First off the nice bit, (yes, there is one of those) the basic premise behind the story is a good one.  It sets out to tell the story of 4 women in a major corporation (the fictional Truviv) and how their experiences at work differ from that of their male colleagues.  From pay inequality through the gamut to out and out sexual harassment.  Grace, Ardie  and Sloane may seem to have it all with motherhood and a career but they are all deeply unhappy.  Contrast this with Rosalita who seems to have nothing (motherhood and a menial job) but who seems to have happiness but underneath there is a dark secret.

There is a good story struggling to dig itself out from the morass; unfortunately what you actually get is a misogynistic diatribe that does nothing proactive for women in the workplace at all.  The first thing I took away from it is that these are very privileged women with the resources to get an excellent education which then leads to a good job.  These are also women who are looking to blame everyone else for any perceived shortcomings.  They have no work/life balance because they don't actually want one; they moan that they do (oh, boy can these women moan) but underneath it all they all seem to have a martyr complex.  Everything that goes wrong in their lives is not their fault but it is the fault of men - not society note, but MEN.

Yes, there are attitudes that need fixing on both sides.  However, this book does nothing more than perpetrate the persecution complex that "modern feminists" seem to propogandise.  From #MeToo onwards it seems to have become popular to paint all women as victims and that anything they have achieved is not because they are genuinely good in their chosen field but because they played the simpering woman game and had to suffer all sorts of abuse from the men who hold the power to get ahead.  I find this toxic and a gross oversimplification, whilst it is undoubtedly true for some it is not true for all and I am guessing far more advance on merit than the narrative would have us believe - but that doesn't generate clicks, sell papers or move novels.

As characters Grace and Sloane display the worst characteristics of the working wife, mother and woman.  To some extent I sympathised with Grace as it is clear that she has never really recovered from the birth of her daughter a few months prior to the start of the tale.  Sloane however, just strikes me as plain nasty.  Everything really is someone else's fault and she never takes responsibility for her own actions or considers others feelings - particularly that of her husband; if she were a male character then we would be screaming narcissist but because this is a woman we are supposed to be sympathetic and root for her to overcome (puhlease!).

At least Ardie and Rosalita provide some relief from the constant carping.  Both of them just get on with whatever life throws at them and try to make the best of things.  Ardie may have the good job but she is divorced with a son and has definitely opted out of the game at work.  She dresses how she wants, refuses to adhere to standards of feminine beauty and even (shock, horror) dares to be overweight.  Somehow the author manages to make this seem somehow shameful and the reason that her career is not advancing.  As the cleaner at Truviv Rosalita is perhaps the only one who does not feel like a caricature and is certainly the only who seems to have her life together.

Full of distasteful stereotypes and with a very slow, plodding storyline that relies on constant repetition of scenarios.  It just isn't written that well.  It is sailing on the back of #MeToo but just serves to highlight the very worst of the bandwagon jumpers.  I am sure some of the set piece scenarios are familiar to anyone who has ever had the delight of working for a medium to large company - whether male or female - but the conclusions drawn and expressed by our 3 main protagonists (Rosalita is a bit of an after thought in all this) are extremely flawed.

In all honesty I actively disliked this book and found it very difficult to finish.  Reading became a chore instead of a pleasure and I actually cheered when I finished this one.  That is NOT how you should feel when finishing a book.  I do feel that 2 Stars is actually a generous score for this book but it got them purely because of the idea behind the book and because of Ardie and Rosalita.  Maybe you need to be a staunch feminist to enjoy this tract; personally I would rather see us all as just people trying to do our best but hey, if feminism is your thing then good for you (you might even enjoy this book).

THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER.