62 pages 2 hours read

Sally Hepworth

The Good Sister

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020

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Background

Authorial Context: Sally Hepworth’s Work

Sally Hepworth’s work is often situated in the domestic thriller genre, combining a keen observation of interpersonal dynamics with crime, mystery, and dark characters. Hepworth’s work also often features secrets between family members, such as the secrets Rose keeps from Fern in The Good Sister, and familiar environments and relationships made eerie. In The Good Sister, Hepworth explores the dark side of the close, sometimes co-dependent, dynamic between sisters while in The Mother-in-Law (2019), she examines the relationship between a matriarch and her daughter-in-law. Both books contain murders, shifting perspectives, and plot devices, such as misdirection (diverting the reader’s attention from an important motif/clue) and red herrings (providing misleading clues). Hepworth has often been compared to fellow Australian Liane Moriarty and American novelist Gillian Flynn, since all these authors write in the domestic thriller genre. However, Hepworth’s work is distinctive in its use of differing points of view and inclusive themes. The Good Sister is set in Australia, like most of Hepworth’s books since 2018.

Cultural Context: Popular Perception of Twins

The Good Sister is an exploration of the complex relationship between sisters, and twins in particular. Hepworth plays with the idea that while the twin bond is very strong, it can also involve emotions like jealousy, possessiveness, and vengeance.