The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth – Audio

Book Blurb:

From the outside, everyone might think Fern and Rose are as close as twin sisters can be: Rose is the responsible one and Fern is the quirky one. But the sisters are devoted to one another, and Rose has always been Fern’s protector from the time they were small.
Fern needed protecting because their mother was a true sociopath who hid her true nature from the world, and only Rose could see it. Fern always saw the good in everyone. Years ago, Fern did something very, very bad. And Rose has never told a soul. When Fern decides to help her sister achieve her heart’s desire of having a baby, Rose realizes with growing horror that Fern might make choices that can only have a terrible outcome. What Rose doesn’t realize is that Fern is growing more and more aware of the secrets Rose, herself, is keeping. And that their mother might have the last word after all.

My Review: 4.5 stars

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The Good Sister may prove to be my favorite Hepworth book yet. This book definitely focuses on the notion that what we see, isn’t always what we get. One sister, Rose, is the caretaker and the responsible one, while Fern, who suffers from sensory processing issues, is the weaker of the two. We learn this from Fern’s POV, as she’s telling the story coupled with Rose’s journal entries.

But of course, as in all good fiction, and in real life, perception is just an illusion. Rose’s obsession with having a baby, while medically, she cannot, puts Fern on a mission to have a baby for her. And that’s where the plotline seemingly will go. Instead, Hepworth takes us on a journey of twists and turns that will delight all readers. Some of this story will seem predictable, but always with a slight hairpin turn that you didn’t expect. 

I love how Hepworth celebrates sisters, their co-dependency that battles with their independence, the way their memories of the same incidents can vary, the way in which they often feel beholden to one another and their unmitigated love for one another. Additionally, Hepworth made sure to show Fern as so much more than her disabilites. She was funny, smart, honest, a good friend and loving. I think book clubs will love this one. 

Quotes I liked:

Maybe when it comes to sisters, boundaries are always a little bit blurry. Blurred boundaries, I think, are what sisters do best.”

“I’d always found there was something agreeable about people who liked dogs and something untrustworthy about those who didn’t.”

“The library belongs to everyone. The library, Janet used to say, is one of only a few places in the world that one doesn’t need to believe anything or buy anything to come inside.”