This review contains affiliate links, which earn me a small commission when you click and purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business and allowing me to continue providing you a reliable resource for clean book ratings.
Fern has always relied on her twin sister, Rose, to help her navigate certain things in life; she tends to miss social cues that seem obvious to everyone else, and she has a hard time being in places that are noisy and bright. Rose has always known she has to be there for Fern. One particular incident in their childhood made that clear.
Now Rose is longing for a baby, but her chances of getting pregnant are pretty low. Fern has never considered the possibility of having a baby to raise herself — it’s just not wise, given her obvious limitations — so she comes up with the idea of having a baby for her sister. She just needs to find someone who can be the father, since Rose’s husband is working far away for the year.
As Fern goes about her plan, it sets in motion a lot of changes in her structured and predictable, though satisfying, life. And it brings to light some of the dark issues from the two sisters’ past, with the possibility for danger right in the here and now.
I enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s The Mother-in-Law, and I was in the mood for some suspense, so this worked well. Both books delve deeply into the complexity of family relationships; here, it shows how close two sisters are and how much they rely on each other and love each other, even as there are elements of competition, anger, frustration and misunderstanding. Then the author adds in some uncertainty about motives, about where the truth lies, about what may happen. It’s a satisfying mix.
Bonus: it’s refreshing to read a book that is written in large part in the voice of a character who is likely in the autism spectrum.
Rated: Moderate, for two instances of strong language and occasional use of moderate or mild profanity. Sexual content is low; characters have sex but there are few details past kissing and undressing. Violence includes mention of suspicious deaths.
*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Click here to purchase your copy of The Good Sister on Amazon.
