The Younger Wife

January 10, 2022
In this appealing domestic suspense novel from bestseller Hepworth (The Good Sister), Pamela Aston’s two adult daughters, Tully and Rachel, are already reeling at the swiftness of the Melbourne, Australia, homemaker’s deterioration with early-onset Alzheimer’s when their cardiac surgeon father, Stephen, blindsides them with another bombshell—his plan to divorce Pam, who’s soon moved to a nursing home, and marry interior designer Heather Wisher, who’s younger than either sister. Further shocks await Rachel, a gorgeous plus-size baker who by her own account eats her feelings, as well as Tully, the always anxious mother of two little boys, as they try to figure out how seriously to take Pam’s occasional utterances suggesting that life with Stephen may have had a darker side. Meanwhile, the surprisingly sympathetic Heather starts to question her wedding plans—and possibly her sanity—now that she’s living with Stephen full-time. The toxic secrets each woman has been hiding, a surprise romance, and the small fortune Rachel discovers in her mother’s hot water bottle nicely complicate the fast-moving plot. This often funny and affecting outing should win Hepworth new fans. Agent: Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management.

June 1, 2022

The Aston family is in serious need of therapy. Natalie is a kleptomaniac with high-anxiety issues. Her sister Rachael stress-eats, trying to cope with being raped as a teenager. Their mother, confined to a nursing home, suffers from dementia. Their father, Stephen, announces that he will soon marry, even though he is still married to their mother. When a hot water bottle stuffed with almost $100,000 turns up in their mother's belongings, accompanied by the name of an unknown woman, Rachael begins to ask questions. As the wedding day nears, Rachael finds and meets the mystery woman, her father's first wife. As events unfold, Stephen's real character is revealed, with deadly consequences. Best-selling suspense novelist Hepworth (The Good Sister) creates a family of damaged people whose issues seem to be invisible to their closest friends and family. Her quirky characters are lifelike and yet somewhat unconvincing. That the story unwinds into a happy ending for most of the characters is remarkable. Four narrators, Barrie Kreinik, Caroline Lee, Jessica Douglas-Henry, and Zoe Carides, read the twisting tale with skill and empathy. VERDICT Readers of family dysfunction fiction and Hepworth's many fans will enjoy. Expect high demand.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 8, 2021
Readers won’t be shocked to learn that Sally Hepworth’s new novel The Younger Wife features a May–December romance between a younger woman and an older man, and the effects the relationship has on his family. The structure is well done, following the story from the points of view of three women: the younger soon-to-be-wife, Heather, lonely and looking for security; her fiance’s oldest daughter, Tully, living an upwardly mobile life but with a dangerous secret; and Rachael, the youngest daughter, a successful baker making wedding cakes and avoiding all romance of her own. Bypassing cliche, Hepworth’s narrative choices allow the reader to better understand the interloper and witness how a shared generation means that Heather, Rachael and Tully have much in common—and how the ensuing domestic noir mystery ties them even closer together. The Younger Wife is thoroughly engrossing, pulling the reader along at a breakneck pace and exposing each character’s flaws and challenges, secrets and strengths, and how these have affected their relationships. However, I was left deeply unsettled by Hepworth’s choices for the ending, particularly as it relates to contemporary politics, policing and the ways in which women are and are not believed. The structure, characters and plot of this novel were enough to create narrative tension, pace and an engrossing read; the final twist left me feeling sour and unsafe.    Kate Cuthbert is program manager at Writers Victoria.