The sisters we are about to discuss, Fern and Rose Castle, are extremely unique and not what you would expect from closely knit siblings, let alone twins. By the end of THE GOOD SISTER, Sally Hepworth will have you pondering which of these characters best represents the book’s title.

The novel opens with an entry in the Journal of Rose Ingrid Castle. We learn right up front that Rose’s husband, Owen, has left her. Not only has he accepted a job in London, far from their home in Melbourne, he has taken the first steps toward a separation in their marriage. It doesn’t take long for Rose to describe the incident that changed the lives of both her and Fern. While on a family camping trip when they were 12 years old, their mom’s boyfriend’s son drowned. Rose indicates that Fern was responsible for Billy’s death, and it was her quick thinking that kept Fern out of trouble. They all went along with the story that he got tangled up in the reeds and accidentally drowned.

"There are a lot of juicy occurrences here that will make you question everything that has happened and what we have read in Rose’s journal entries. The finale is a wild one with plenty of unexpected plot twists along the way."

That is a tough first impression of Fern to get past. When we are introduced to Fern in the present day, we find that she is single, in her mid-20s and working at the local town library. To say that she is both a peculiar character and the ultimate unreliable narrator would be a gross understatement. She suffers from a myriad of issues, including sensory problems, ADHD/OCD, and what can be best described as “having no filter” when she talks to others. It is impossible to speak to her without being totally direct as she will call you out on anything that makes no literal sense to her.

Two events drive Hepworth’s narrative. Fern learns that Rose and Owen have been unsuccessful in having a child, which could have played into their marital issues. She also meets an unusual gentleman named Rocco, although she insists on calling him “Wally” as he reminds her of the character from the Australian Waldo book series, Where’s Wally? She is drawn to this young man who lives off the grid in his mobile trailer, similar to Frances McDormand’s character in Nomadland.

Readers learn more about Fern and Rose via trips down memory lane in Rose’s journal. They were raised by their mom and were essentially homeless most of the time. She also was an addict who eventually overdosed to the point where she suffered serious brain damage and has been confined to a facility ever since. Fern decides that it would be best for the family if she got pregnant and gave the child to Rose. Hepworth effectively turns the tables on all that has gone before as the story takes an incredibly dark and satisfying turn.

There are a lot of juicy occurrences here that will make you question everything that has happened and what we have read in Rose’s journal entries. The finale is a wild one with plenty of unexpected plot twists along the way. What Hepworth does best is create fully realized, complex characters to whom you can easily become addicted. At one point she states, “Blurred boundaries, I think, are what sisters do best.” That perfectly sums up what you can expect from Fern and Rose in a novel that will stay with you long after the last page has been turned.