March 2017

Sally Hepworth writes books with characters that push you outside of your emotional comfort zone. In THE MOTHER’S PROMISE, Alice Stanhope has spent her life protecting and raising her daughter, Zoe. Without a dad on the scene, they have made themselves a family à deux. Zoe is troubled by social anxiety, but with Alice by her side, she has an anchor.

Suddenly Alice is taken ill, and as it becomes clear that the situation is turning dire, the pair needs to find others to bring stability to Zoe’s life. Two people emerge as caretakers for the young girl: a nurse and a social worker. Together with Alice, they mold their lives into new roles with Zoe as their focus. All three older women have secrets and fears to overcome, but their single-minded goal of caring for a young girl and keeping her safe and happy drives them to each confront their personal challenges.

There’s a lot here for book groups. It might be interesting to take the discussion in the direction of each of the four characters, noting what is a challenge in each of their lives and how they overcome it, and then talking about Zoe’s fears in relation to those of the three older women. Hepworth never disappoints; her last book, THE THINGS WE KEEP, was a 2016 Bets On selection. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next!