Five Voices by Tamara Moss
Allen & Unwin
Five Voices is a successful debate podcast in which five Year 12 friends take opposing sides on contentious issues while playing classic board games. The podcast becomes more popular than anyone could have predicted, but it comes to an abrupt end when one of the five is found dead following a heated on-air argument.
As the novel counts down towards William’s death, detectives sift through raw audio recordings of the podcast episodes, while twists in the narrative are revealed through the shifting perspectives of the four remaining teenagers.
William was not only charismatic but also came from a wealthy family. However, he was also a bully, leading to doubts about whether he fell from the balcony of his family’s Nedlands home or was pushed.
William had argued with Zac at a now-infamous party about matters related to the podcast. Zac, meanwhile, wants to end his relationship with his girlfriend in order to follow his heart.
Ocean was openly gay and allergic to conflict. He had hosted the party at The Lighthouse Café in Midland, a creative arts hub established by his parents. It was also home to the podcast’s recording studio.
Simone had been heavily intoxicated at the party and was struggling in its aftermath. Something must have happened that night to prompt her to shave her head. Her mother, concerned about appearances, was refusing to let her leave the house without wearing a wig.
Rosie was preoccupied by the strange events of the party, but other concerns were also competing for her attention. There was her audition tape for WAAPA, upcoming exams, and the fact that the mother who had abandoned her 18 years earlier wanted to reconnect. Then there was the intriguing girl she had met at the party, who sold flowers at the Kalamunda Markets.
In her first solo young adult novel, following the co-authored The Escape Game with Marissa Meyer, Perth writer Tamara Moss has created five compelling, morally grey characters. The novel’s tagline promises “five secrets, four motives and one killer”.
No one is entirely trustworthy, and as secrets are revealed, readers begin to realise there is no simple answer to the mystery. As Moss puts it: “The binaries are false. Reality is grey.”
Lezly Herbert
