When Jeanie Masterson learns that her parents intend to retire and leave her and her husband in charge of the family undertaking business, she is thrown for a loop. This precipitates her having an existential crisis of sorts.
She begins to examine her earlier choices. When, at seventeen she chose to stay at home in their small Irish town over travelling to London with the love of her life. When she chose to marry her good friend, Niall, a man who deserves more from her than she can give. When she caved to family pressure over being courageous enough to strike out on her own.
Jeanie can talk to the dead. Only for a short time, to the very recently deceased. She has never decided whether this is a blessing or a curse, but she feels obligated to stay in the business if for that reason and no other.
One might assume that the ‘talking to the dead‘ aspect of this book would somehow be dominant over the entire plot. It was not. Rather there were small snippets throughout the book. Some were poignant, some were humorous, but all seemed essential to the character that was Jeanie. My favourite of these was when a young girl spoke about her new markers and never having had the chance to use them…
Jeanie has a brother who is clearly on the spectrum. Her home life has revolved around him for years. She adores him, and I found their relationship one of my favourite things about this book.
This is a novel about obligations and responsibilities. Following the dictates of your head versus your heart. Learning that happiness is elusive and is possible only when you are honest and true with yourself. It is also a novel about a family secret.
“Listening Still” was a slow-paced, thought-provoking, and at times poignant read.
This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from St. Martin’s Press via Edelweiss. I’m tackling my Edelweiss backlist one title at a time…
Publication date: March 1, 2022
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan
ISBN: 9781250200617 ASIN: B092T7ZZCV – 349 pages
Anne Griffin is the Irish author of the bestselling novels THE ISLAND OF LONGING, LISTENING STILL and WHEN ALL IS SAID.
Anne has been awarded the Irish Book Awards Newcomer of the Year Award, 2019. Her work has been shortlisted for the John McGahern Annual Book Prize, the Kate O’Brien Award and the Christopher Bland Prize amongst others. She has been longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award.
Anne’s work is published in in twenty-five territories including twenty-three foreign languages. Born in Dublin, Anne now lives in Mullingar, Ireland.
Contact Anne Griffin via her website and/or connect with her on Instagram.
After a haphazard early career that took her around the world, 
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Heather O’Neill is a versatile voice talent who has narrated audiobooks across various genres, including fiction titles like Red Sister. She also provided narration for the 2013 animated short of her own story, “The End Of Pinky”. Her voice work is often featured on platforms such as Audible and AudiobookStore.
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Sophia Tobin was raised in Kent and lived in London for many years. She has studied History and History of Art, and specialized in jewellery and silver, working for a Bond Street antique dealer and as a chartered librarian in the goldsmithing industry. She now writes full-time.
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Fictionophile 
