Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman

I received this book for review from Quirk Books. Whisper Down the Lane is a fictional book about the Satanic Panic of the ’80s and how it affected people nationwide. 

TW: sexual abuse

Sean is a 5 year old in 1983. He has a kindergarten teacher that he likes a lot. But when his mom sees the bruises from a bully, he tells her it was his teacher instead. He thinks it’s a game—mom doesn’t want to hear that he’s being bullied, so he makes up story after story about what happens in class and at nap time. This isn’t what any mother wants to hear, and soon Sean’s “game” is national news. 

Richard is an art teacher in 2013. He was adopted relatively young, so he doesn’t associate with the “before adoption” memories at all. But when one of the class’s pet rabbit is found gutted in the middle of the soccer field, memories start to bubble to the surface. 

Whisper Down the Lane follows both of these stories, and it’s dang powerful.

I read it in 2 days—there was a point when I couldn’t not read it. I needed to know what was happening and if there was any kind of happiness in the ending. 

Even with the knowledge that this is a work of fiction and Sean thinks his stories are a game, I found this book incredibly difficult to read. It’s a psychological thriller through and through; the twists and turns are intense, the story is stressful, and everything about it is just difficult. But it’s a really powerful read. I didn’t know much about the Satanic Panic, other than the fact that it was an epidemic. This book made me understand the intensity and helped me to see what it was like to be around (descriptions of protests and tight knit communities really brought it home). 

I’m not going to say I loved it, because it was too stressful for me to really love. But it’s incredibly well written and absolutely captivating. I legitimately could not put it down at one point—I needed to know what was happening. 

I think if you enjoy psychological thrillers, and can deal with difficult material (specifically sexual abuse of children being described), you may want to check this book out. It’s really well written and a beyond compelling read. But if you aren’t able to read books like that, Whisper Down the Lane probably isn’t for you. 

If it sounds up your alley, you can get more information here!