Darling Girls - Sally Hepworth
Pub. Date: April 23, 2024
She read
Twenty five years ago, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were placed in foster care with Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows in Port Agatha. The placement was a horror show of manipulation and abuse. For survival, the girls bonded together and considered themselves sisters, always having each other’s backs. Now adults, still with strong feelings of sisterhood and their own individual neuroses, they are hurtled back to the past when they receive a call that bones have been discovered on the property that once housed Wild Meadows. They return there to be questioned by the authorities trying to solve the mystery. Are the women witnesses or suspects?
Sally Hepworth is a bestselling Australian author; I have read and enjoyed some of her prior books. Told in alternating timelines, and POVs, this is a slow burn thriller with excellent character development, twists, and turns. The horrors that can sometimes be part of the foster care system especially with a pathological caregiver are chronicled here and endured by three bright, resourceful, loyal to each other young females. An engrossing, poignant read that is not all sinister; there is also wit, humor (albeit sometimes dark), and hope for the future of these three women who have formed a non traditional, but strong family.
Random thoughts: Read this book just to find out why Norah’s dogs are named Couch, Converse, and Thong! I think the ending will elicit varied reactions…..what will you think of it?
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