Book Review: The Younger Wife | Sally Hepworth

Lately I’ve been pondering a lot about why people’s opinions on books differ so much (beyond the obvious that we all like different things) and one reason I think the opinions vary so drastically in the mystery/thriller genre is that the subgenres cover a very wide range of books and styles.

Sally Hepworth is always a winner for me, and The Younger Wife was no exception. I find that Hepworth writes very well-developed and interesting characters. Her novels are what many in the US call a “slow burn” but I prefer to think of them as character-driven suspense novels. Readers who are looking for action-packed plot-driven thrillers may not enjoy The Younger Wife as much as I did. Go into this and appreciate the characters, the relationships, and the well-crafted suspense and I think you’ll completely enjoy what Sally Hepworth has done here!

Read this if…

Readers who are fans of character-driven suspense novels, particularly by European and Australian authors will love this. The Younger Wife is perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Sarah Pekkanen (in her standalone work), Jane Harper, and Celeste Ng.

Characters

Stephen Aston (the husband) is a heart surgeon who is divorcing his current wife Pam Aston (the former wife) so he can marry someone else. Pam Aston is suffering from early onset dementia that has advanced to the point she is no longer able to recognize her daughters or retain many memories. Pam and Stephen had two daughters during their marriage, Tully and Rachel (the daughters). Tully is married with two children of her own, and Rachel is perennially single. Heather (the new wife) is the beautiful, young (younger than his daughters) fiancée who is marrying Stephen once his divorce goes through.

Plot and Structure

Stephen and Pam built a beautiful life together, with a stunning home, two daughters, and everything they could want thanks to Stephen’s career as a successful heart surgeon. But even money can’t stop the onset of dementia in Pam, robbing her of her memory and much of her cognitive functioning.

When the book opens, Stephen and his new paramour Heather are having lunch with his daughters Tully and Rachel to share the news that Stephen has proposed to Heather. Of course, there is the small issue that he is technically still married to Pam, though she is in a fulltime care facility. When he shares his plans to divorce Pam, Tully and Rachel are understandably stunned. It’s their mother, after all, and Heather is even younger than them.

Tully and Rachel have their own problems, though. Tully’s husband has recently made a bad investment and they may need to file for bankruptcy. Meanwhile Tully has a bit of a bad habit of shoplifting she’s been hiding for years. Rachel is unable to date, preferring solitude to dealing with trauma she has around men. Both sisters need their parents more than ever, just as they are losing not only their mother, but maybe their father as well.

And Heather has secrets of her own. Will this family be able to make it through, or will these changes and their secrets be enough to break them?

Told in alternating chapters from the perspective of daughters Tully and Rachel and new wife Heather, The Younger Wife delivers on building characters with strong growth arcs as the book begins at the first initial meeting and engagement celebration towards the wedding. There is an unknown fourth narrator who is a guest at the wedding of Stephen and Heather that adds suspense and context that builds throughout the novel.

My Review

Before reading this I expected this to be about a gold-digging younger woman trying to steal a man away from his family, but that isn’t remotely what this book is about. Heather is incredibly likable and aware that this situation is awkward for Stephen and his daughters. She is respectful that they still miss their mother, and that she is quite young to be their step-mom. But Heather is deeply in love with Stephen and not because of his money or status, but because of their relationship.

Pam’s dementia is very advanced, to the point that she doesn’t recognize her daughters when they visit her, though she seems aware some of the time that she has daughters. Stephen is also committed to continuing Pam’s care, but he is ready to move on and find love again. Everyone is looking to keep Pam in the family, though she is no longer herself.

One of the most compelling parts of this book for me was actually the daughters Tully and Rachel. Both are dealing with separate mental health struggles, heightened by the stress of their mother’s disease and things going on in their individual lives. I felt both had great growth arcs across the book that were engaging and satisfying.

If you are wondering about the “thriller” in this psychological thriller, it comes in a slow-building storyline that is heightened by the mysterious narrator. I wouldn’t say there are any jaw-dropping twists here, but there is an ongoing mystery to this that has a delicious twist in the very end of the book.

Part of the mystery has to do with something of Pam’s that was hidden in the house and the girls happen to discover. As they look into it more, they are frustrated that they can’t just ask Pam herself. Pam is physically present but unable to retain any memories that seem to help them solve the mystery. Was Pam harboring a secret their whole lives? Or did they misunderstand what they found?

A compelling character-driven suspense novel with well-developed relationship dynamics, growth in the character arcs, and a delightful twist ending that rounded out the story perfectly.

The Ending

I have heard from others that some editions of this book had a more vague ending than the version I read (the published US version) but I am always looking for a way to share a few additional thoughts with a spoiler warning. My above review is 100% spoiler-free, but my additional spoiler thoughts about this book are in the drop down below. Don’t open if you haven’t read The Younger Wife yet!