About the Book:
THE HUSBAND
A heart surgeon at the top of his field, Stephen Aston is getting married again. But first he must divorce his current wife, even though she can no longer speak for herself.
THE DAUGHTERS
Tully and Rachel Aston look upon their father’s fiancée, Heather, as nothing but an interloper. Heather is younger than both of them. Clearly, she’s after their father’s money.
THE FORMER WIFE
With their mother in a precarious position, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the
truth about their family’s secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is.
THE YOUNGER WIFE
Heather has secrets of her own. Will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses
in all of them?
My Review:
Another fabulous domestic thriller from Sally Hepworth!
“Perhaps the very worst people still had some good in them.
And perhaps the very best had some bad.”
Sally Hepworth is my go-to domestic thriller author and this audiobook was outstanding! There are multiple perspectives and while sometimes this can get a bit confusing in other books, here, it works perfectly. Each character had a distinctive voice and viewpoint, and the author made me really care and empathize with each one.
The title could be seen as being very clear-cut and rather blunt, but don’t assume anything! We also have an anonymous narrator in the mix who adds yet another perspective on the marriage of Dr. Aston to the much younger Heather. Every single character had my undivided interest and empathy. I did guess the big reveal about 60% in but it still came as a total shock.
Without giving anything away, some readers should be warned that this book deals with sexual assault, alcoholism, dementia and trauma. Yet the topics are all woven expertly by Sally Hepworth into a compulsively readable tale about family, parental relationships and marriage.
The conclusion of this fabulous thriller was a touch ambiguous to me, which I have read might have changed a little in the final version. Nonetheless, I absolutely loved this audiobook and highly recommend this perfectly written thriller!
(Thanks to the publisher for providing an audiobook listening copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)