From the almost creepy, stark cover of The Whisper Man to the interaction between Tom and his son Jake, this book took off like a shot and had me hooked from the first couple sentences. After the loss of wife and mother Rebecca, Tom and Jake are left on their own to deal with life without their biggest support system and the buffer between the two. Reading about Jake being be himself inside his school while all the other kids are outside and the fact that he has been bullied daily about the death of his mother brings a sense of reality to the book, as the loss of a parent can be devastating. Tom making the decision to move away from the home where they were a family is also very realistic, as many people feel that would be the only way they can move forward. I feel Tom's pain and loss through the words. I feel Jake's inability to express himself the way his father thinks he should. And throughout this whole dynamic, there is the Whisper Man swirling around in the background. Tom does not know anything about the Whisper Man, but Jake does. His imaginary friend has been preparing him for what is to come. I cannot WAIT to read this book!