Review of "The Younger Wife: A Novel" by Sally Hepworth

As the story opens Stephen Aston, a sixtyish physician, is marrying Heather Wisher, a thirtyish interior designer.

Stephen's daughters Rachel and Tully - both older than their future stepmother - are the bridesmaids and Stephen's ex-wife Pam - who Stephen divorced to marry Heather - is a guest at the wedding.



You might think 'What can go wrong?' Well, something does. Blood flows, an ambulance is called, and the remainder of the book details the year leading up to the nuptials.

*****

Stephen and Heather meet when the interior designer is hired to re-do Stephen and Pam's home. Heather, who grew up in a dysfunctional family, is struck by Stephen's kindness and solicitude to his wife Pam- who's already suffering from dementia. By the time Stephen places Pam in a nursing home Heather is in love with the older man, and the pair embark on a romantic relationship.



Stephen introduces his daughters Rachel and Tully to his new girlfriend, and announces that he and Heather plan to get married.....as soon as he divorces his wife Pam. This puts Rachel and Tully on the horns of a dilemma. They blanch at the idea of their mother being 'abandoned' but they want their father to be happy. So the sisters try to befriend Heather, and this - as well as pressures in their personal lives - exacerbate their personal struggles.

The story is told from the rotating points of view of Heather, Tully, and Rachel, each of whose secrets are slowly revealed.

Rachel is a professional baker who, though shapely and beautiful, hasn't had a relationship since she was sixteen.



Moreover, Rachel is a stress-eater who gobbles food to ease her nerves, and will eat until she's sick to alleviate her anxiety.



Tully is a married mother of two small boys.



She's also a compulsive thief. To relieve her almost constant tension, Tully has been stealing things - clothes, candles, jewelry, flashlights, knick-knacks, etc. - since she was a pre-teen.



Moreover, Tully and her husband have serious financial problems and the once wealthy couple must downgrade their luxurious lifestyle. To add to their troubles, the couple's toddler son Miles is showing signs of kiddie angst.

Heather uses alcohol to cope with the stress in her life and - though she seems to truly love Stephen - part of the attraction was certainly Stephen's wealth and position in society.



Unfortunately Heather's background didn't prepare her to fit in with the smart set, and she struggles to socialize with some of Stephen's friends.




As the story unfolds, suspicions arise that one of the characters is an accomplished deceiver who's been fooling people for a long time. The other protagonists try to determine the truth or falsehood of this conjecture, and - by the end - they discover the truth.

Though the premise of the story - older man marries younger woman - has been addressed many times in literature (and real life), the story has interesting twists. Fans of domestic dramas would probably enjoy the novel.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars