This is the fourth Sally Hepworth novel I’ve read. They are all very different but what they have in common are surprising twists as the story unwinds along with firmly grounded, well developed characters. I’m not usually drawn to this particular kind of book but unlike many others in this genre, Hepworth so fully entrenches you in the lives of the characters, you really want to know what has happened and is going to happen to them.

This is a story about foster care. The underlying question explored is how an abusive childhood rooted in insecurity and the search for love and safety can ever be overcome. The reader is first introduced to the three main characters when they are adults. We can see from the beginning that they are still somewhat damaged. Jessica has a pretty strong case of OCD that has made her successful in her work as a home designer but intrudes significantly in how she constructs her life. Norah has anger issues that have backfired on her and Alicia, a well intentioned social worker, is extremely fragile and insecure. But they have one very positive thing going for them. These three very divergent women consider themselves sisters. Having survived Wild Meadows and Miss Fairchild together, they are a family completely devoted to the love and care of one another.

The girls were taken in by a single woman, Holly Fairchild, who lives on a farm called Wild Meadows. Jessica was the youngest and was alone with her for five years. Norah came after an experience in juvie and Alicia, came needing respite care that turned out to be permanent. Holly is a mix of personality—loving, demanding, cruel, exacting, withholding.

In the present, bones are found under Wild Meadows and the police have called the women back to relive the past in order to solve the mystery of what happened to the unidentified child who was buried there.

The story flips between the past when they were children and the present as they deal with issues in their current life that may derail the fragile stability they’ve struggle to maintain. Reliving life on the farm undermines hard won self confidence. Unfortunately, they also have to interact with Miss Fairchild, whose erratic behavior and cruelty dominated their formative years. Having to relive their foster care experience with the police may wholly undo them.

It is a riveting plot with characters you easily care about. The villain is well drawn. There are few shades of gray but you want to know why. I don’t know about other readers but I didn’t see the ending coming. It was a great resolution for all concerned.

The only reason I did not give it a five-star rating are the sections with the psychiatrist felt inauthentic, confusing, and too long. I think I understand the reason for this but slogging through all the painfully classic tropes of abuse took me out of the story rather than deeper into it. It seemed incongruous with how well the rest of the book moved along.

I highly recommend reading this suspenseful, yet compassionate story of friendship by Australian writer, Sally Hepworth.

Many thanks to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this excellent novel.