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A review by wakekimfield
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
4.0
8/10 - Rose and Fern are twin sisters. Fern is neurodivergent with social deficiencies and sensory issues, who doesn’t understand rhetorical questions, but thrives on logic and routine, and adores her sister. Rose has always taken care of, and loved Fern. When Fern discovers Rose can’t have a baby, Fern decides she will meet a man, make a baby, and give it to Rose.
This is my first Sally Hepworth novel and it was NOTHING like I expected it to be.
What started out as a sweet story about a sisterly bond turned out to be an interesting insight into narcissism and coercive control. So many phases of this novel made me feel uncomfortable, for various reasons, but it kept my interest all the way through.
Fern’s neurodivergence is brilliantly portrayed, in perfect combination with her intelligence. So often we see neurodivergence cast as incompetent and unfeeling. Here, she’s caring and capable, and also happens to not understand facial expressions or inference. It’s brilliant to see our antagonist try to use this to against Fern, but underestimate the importance of logical thinking.
The supporting characters are an amazing supporting cast too. The library posse *chef’s kiss. Wally/Rocco was such a great neurodivergent partner for Fern - the perfect example of finding another persons weird that fits your weird.
Really surprised by the story but enjoyed it so much more than I was expecting.
Audiobook VA was excellent - I didn’t realise Sally Hepworth is Australian.
This is my first Sally Hepworth novel and it was NOTHING like I expected it to be.
What started out as a sweet story about a sisterly bond turned out to be an interesting insight into narcissism and coercive control. So many phases of this novel made me feel uncomfortable, for various reasons, but it kept my interest all the way through.
Fern’s neurodivergence is brilliantly portrayed, in perfect combination with her intelligence. So often we see neurodivergence cast as incompetent and unfeeling. Here, she’s caring and capable, and also happens to not understand facial expressions or inference. It’s brilliant to see our antagonist try to use this to against Fern, but underestimate the importance of logical thinking.
The supporting characters are an amazing supporting cast too. The library posse *chef’s kiss. Wally/Rocco was such a great neurodivergent partner for Fern - the perfect example of finding another persons weird that fits your weird.
Really surprised by the story but enjoyed it so much more than I was expecting.
Audiobook VA was excellent - I didn’t realise Sally Hepworth is Australian.