Scan barcode
A review by marilynw
Listening Still by Anne Griffin
4.0
Listening Still by Anne Griffin (Author) Nicola Coughlan (Narrator)
Jeanie Masterson can hear the last words of the dead and they can hear her. It's a gift and a curse because she feels this obligation to listen to the dead, to pass on their messages to the living. The only other person who can do this is her father and he doesn't always pass on what the dead want to pass on. He'll sugar coat the message or change it entirely because he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Jeanie feels conflicted about what her father does but then she feels conflicted about everything.
Coming from a family where it always feels like everyone is holding back from saying what they really think and feel, Jeanie has adapted to this way of not communicating. She is such a frustrating person to me. She spends years not answering the questions of people who love her, leaving herself and them hanging, with no end in sight. It's as if she craves this hanging on of her never to be reached hopes and wishes and of men whose lives are put on hold waiting for her to give answers to questions. What is most frustrating is when she knows the answer but still won't say it out loud, It's a cruel way of living and a cruel way to treat the people in her life.
But family is where she learned a lot of what she does. Not that it's spoken about or addressed. This family doesn't address anything important and seems to revolve around not dealing with the most important issues of their lives. So I felt sad while reading this story, for this woman who is so removed from life that she is really only living it in her head. She communicates better with the dead than she does with the living. I will say though, that I still enjoyed the book and the narration of the story. I could tell, early on, not to get invested in Jeanie's actions or inactions because nothing much was going to happen if she had her way.
Publication: March 1, 2022
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC
Jeanie Masterson can hear the last words of the dead and they can hear her. It's a gift and a curse because she feels this obligation to listen to the dead, to pass on their messages to the living. The only other person who can do this is her father and he doesn't always pass on what the dead want to pass on. He'll sugar coat the message or change it entirely because he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Jeanie feels conflicted about what her father does but then she feels conflicted about everything.
Coming from a family where it always feels like everyone is holding back from saying what they really think and feel, Jeanie has adapted to this way of not communicating. She is such a frustrating person to me. She spends years not answering the questions of people who love her, leaving herself and them hanging, with no end in sight. It's as if she craves this hanging on of her never to be reached hopes and wishes and of men whose lives are put on hold waiting for her to give answers to questions. What is most frustrating is when she knows the answer but still won't say it out loud, It's a cruel way of living and a cruel way to treat the people in her life.
But family is where she learned a lot of what she does. Not that it's spoken about or addressed. This family doesn't address anything important and seems to revolve around not dealing with the most important issues of their lives. So I felt sad while reading this story, for this woman who is so removed from life that she is really only living it in her head. She communicates better with the dead than she does with the living. I will say though, that I still enjoyed the book and the narration of the story. I could tell, early on, not to get invested in Jeanie's actions or inactions because nothing much was going to happen if she had her way.
Publication: March 1, 2022
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC