From the knowledge I cleaned from 'These Precious Days', Ann Patchett's book of essays (reviewed here in June 2026), on starting to read her new novel, 'Whistler' (as an unabridged audio book, narrated by the author), I quickly realised that this was going to be a particularly autobiographical novel. Daphne, through whose eyes we discover this story, has three fathers (her biological father followed by two stepfathers) - as does Ann Patchett herself. There are several other links between the character and her author. And 'Whistler', like the essays in 'These Precious Days' focuses on themes of mortality, family relationships, storytelling and the writing process. It's a confident, mature novel that is beautifully constructed. Several times, something is referred to that hasn't yet been explained and I found myself flicking back to see if I had missed something. But soon you realise you can trust Ann Patchett: everything will be explained in time. You are in safe hands and the way stories are told is part of the story she is telling. 'Whistler' is a deceptively simple family tale - beautiful, sad, moving and funny.
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