The Whistle

Elisabeth Anne MacDonald-Murray teaches English literature at Brandon
University, Brandon, Manitoba.

When Mary’s grandfather is hospitalized following a bad fall, Mary and
her mother, Nora, return to Nora’s childhood home in British Columbia
to help care for him. It has been several years since Mary has been in
her grandfather’s house, and she finds herself oddly drawn to the oil
painting of her great-grandfather that hangs in the hallway. During a
hospital visit, Mary is confused when her medicated grandfather
seemingly mistakes her for his younger sister, Mary, and refers
cryptically to a childhood memory that clearly is troubling him. But it
is when she accidentally finds an old whistle in her grandfather’s
bedroom that she learns there are secrets hidden in her family’s past.
Each time she blows the whistle, Mary finds herself mysteriously
transported back in time to the homestead of her great-grandparents,
where her grandfather grew up. Experiencing her grandfather’s
childhood through the eyes of her great-Aunt Mary, the young Mary learns
that there are many questions about her family that need to be answered.
Why did her great-grandfather leave his comfortable life in England so
suddenly and inexplicably? Who is Aunt Hester’s mother? Why does her
grandfather refuse to talk about the portrait that is hidden behind his
desk?

Lupini has crafted a compelling story that combines mystery, suspense,
and a hint of magic with historical fiction. As Mary shifts between the
present and her grandfather’s past, the reader is swept into a
page-turning tale that will delight and intrigue. Highly recommended.