Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

 

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth.

Published 25th April 2024 by Pan Macmillan.

From the cover of the book:

It’s not just secrets buried at Wild Meadows.

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. Rescued from their own family tragedies, they were raised by a loving foster mother on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance for a happy family life.

But the girls’ childhood wasn’t quite the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. And when a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the three foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses.

It’s time for them to return home as adults. The only question is are they innocent victims or the prime suspects for murder?

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Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are sisters in every way but blood, tied together by their childhood experiences at Wild Meadows in Port Agatha, the foster home they were told they were 'lucky' to have. Each of them carries the inner scars of the time they spent with foster mother Miss Fairchild, who was far from the loving parent she presented herself as, and the burden of these has dictated the direction of their lives.

The women have done their best to leave their past behind, navigating their individual struggles and supporting each other in the only way they know how - with a fierce protectiveness. But then an unexpected telephone call brings all their troubling memories rushing back. A body has been found underneath the house they grew up in, and they find themselves called back to Port Agatha to answer questions as part of a murder investigation - but are they being asked to return as potential witnesses, or as suspects? 

The story unfurls through the narratives of each of the women, moving back and forth between the disturbing events of their childhood at Wild Meadows, and the time they receive the fateful phone call asking them to return to the last place on earth they want to see again. Weaving in-between these narratives, Hepworth inserts scenes of psychiatric assessment sessions with an unknown character about their childhood at Wild Meadows too, and she keeps you guessing about these for quite a while before revealing the whos-whats-whys-and-wherefores about their meaning in the overall scheme of things.

The relationship between Jessica, Norah, and Alicia is the central core of this compelling tale, and Hepworth spares nothing in delving into the details about how they have come to be so close through the horrendous circumstances of their childhood at Wild Meadows. She describes upsetting scenes of psychological and physical torment, which are very difficult to read, but these are all essential to build the complex layers of story around the shape their lives have taken, and the dysfunctional strategies they rely on to get by - as well as to ramp up the mystery and suspense about the murder investigation.

With slow-burn lusciousness, the threads of the story come together, via some nicely plotted twists and well-judged dark humour, and Hepworth saves the biggest secret of all until the very end, with a jaw-dropping reveal that will have you questioning everything you think you know. She drives you through a range of powerful emotions as she delves into the legacy of the abuse these women have experienced, but there is hope too in the way they finally make their voices heard and come to terms with their past. 

In the telling, Hepworth explores heart-rending themes about foster care, and the children who are made to think they are 'lucky' to be in the care system, but she also touches on what can be achieved with love and understanding. I always think a good story, told well, is a great way to set readers thinking about weighty issues, and this book will certainly leave you with lots to ponder upon.

This is my first Sally Hepworth, but it definitely will not be my last. I swallowed it whole, unable to look away for a second!

Darling Girls is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including The Good Sister and The Soulmate. Her latest novel, Darling Girls, was released in Australia in September 2023, and will be released internationally in April 2024.

Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone. They are available worldwide in English and have been translated into twenty languages.

Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her three children and one adorable dog. She has recently taken up ocean swimming (or to put it more accurately, ocean dipping).