For those of us who have sisters we know that it is often a love-hate relationship. We can be so jealous of them, maybe even want to inflict pain, but will also fiercely defend and keep them from harm. Research has shown that can be even more true of twin sisters.
I’m Betty Martin with "Martin’s Must Reads" and that was the premise for Sally Hepworth’s newest novel The Good Sister. Rose and Fern Castle are fraternal twins. Rose is married and yearning for a baby. Fern has sensory issues that cause her to avoid loud noises, bright lights and crowds. She survives by keeping to a very strict daily routine that includes working at the public library.
When Fern discovers that Rose can’t conceive she decides to be a surrogate mother for her and, after thorough research, decides the best way to accomplish that is to find a man to impregnate her. One day, Wally (who appears to be homeless) needs help in the library. They strike up a friendship and one thing leads to another.
We learn a lot about Fern as we follow her through her days but most of what we know about Rose comes from her journal entries. Her very first entry reveals that on a camping trip when Rose and Fern were twelve, Fern drowned a fourteen year old boy. Because their narcissistic mother left them shortly thereafter, Rose has taken care of Fern ever since. Rose is the good sister. Or is she? As the book’s press says, this book is “compelling, unpredictable, and funny, with a delicious dark undercurrent.”
If you’re looking for a book with interesting characters and a plot twist, then you must read The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth.
