The Good Sister: A Novel

Sally Hepworth

Apr 2021 · Macmillan Audio · Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

About this audiobook

"Reader [Barrie] Kreinik differentiates the sisters by giving Fern a crisp, detached tone (fitting with her character) and making Rose sound more emotional. Their Australian accents are charming...Suspense builds as listeners search for the truth beneath the varying stories and plot twists. Fans of unreliable narrators will love this!" -- Booklist

Sally Hepworth, the author of The Mother-In-Law delivers a knock-out of a novel about the lies that bind two sisters in The Good Sister.

There's only been one time that Rose couldn't stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be...dangerous.

When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.

Fern's mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of unexpected love.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

Ratings and reviews

The prologue to the Good Sister hooked me immediately. I had to backup to be sure I heard it right! Twin sisters Rose, seemingly perfect life & Fern is on the autism spectrum. Rose has looked over Fern their entire lives and Fern wants to give her sister the ultimate gift. It's a bit of a thriller! I appreciate @thewalkingbookclub and @macmillan.audio for allowing me to listen early.

It's immediately obvious that Fern is Autistic. Some have said that this part, getting to know Fern, was a little slow but I thoroughly enjoyed her. Rose, her fraternal twin, is having marital, fertility problems and uses a journal to allow us glimpses into her life, growing up, and always shows herself to be totally on Fern's side; helping wherever she can. OR is she an unreliable narrator - we're given a few insights to wonder if she is or not? Certainly we don't know what to think of their childhood nor the the night of those terrible events. This is not a thriller, per se, but certainly dramatic and certainly all comes to a satisfying reveal of the whole truth. Excellent narrations. Excellent on all counts.

About the author

Sally Hepworth has lived around the world, spending extended periods in Singapore, the United Kingdom and Canada. She is the author of The Secrets of Midwives, The Things We Keep, The Mother's Promise, The Family Next Door and The Mother-in-Law.