Does love hit like lightning, or does it grow slowly over time? How much can we ever trust another person? These are the questions that Sally Hepworth explores in her latest novel, THE SOULMATE. As in many of her books, Hepworth plays with the information she provides. The story is told from the perspectives of Amanda and Pippa, with Amanda's narrative providing "before" and "after" indicators and Pippa's shared with "now" and "then" labels.

In a cataclysmic event, Amanda falls over the cliff behind the house where Pippa, her husband Gabe and their two children live. This spot is called The Drop, and it's where people have gone to commit suicide by throwing themselves from the top of the precipice. Gabe has taken it upon himself to talk these poor souls out of jumping, and he has been quite successful.

"Hepworth is the master of misdirection as she cleverly causes us to believe one thing only to unveil the truth later. But she saves the biggest surprises, and the most touching ones, to the very end."

Until the night he wasn't.

When Amanda was on the cliff, Pippa had an unsettling feeling that what she saw through the window doesn’t jibe completely with what Gabe is telling the police. It was dusk, so she reassures herself that maybe she’s mistaken. But Gabe doesn't inform the authorities --- or his wife --- that he knows Amanda. When Pippa finally learns her identity, she stays quiet to protect Gabe.

Throughout the novel, Pippa and others look the other way when Gabe misbehaves and exhibits behavior that indicates something is very wrong. Pippa loves Gabe, and on the surface he’s wonderful. People are drawn to his movie-star looks and engaging personality. But Pippa sees a different side to him. For years she’s been willing to overlook his late work hours, not coming home nights, binge drinking and changing jobs.

When Gabe finally gets a position with a successful media company, he and Pippa can't believe their luck. He's making good money, and she’s able to work part-time as an estate lawyer while caring for their kids. But eventually that happy situation comes to an end. Hepworth juggles the past and present, showing us important events while saving others for the final reveal. She is leading us down one path while the truth is hidden over in the bushes.

Amanda also relates her story. It turns out that her husband, Max, has secrets of his own. Their relationship is complex, but we see it grow and flourish as time goes by. What begins as almost a transactional arrangement becomes something much more.

Through the emotional and touching narrative, Hepworth presents us with two women in very different relationships who travel in different arenas, but whose worlds collide with tragic results. Each struggles with trust in her marriage, and both wonder just what their husbands are capable of doing.

Hepworth is the master of misdirection as she cleverly causes us to believe one thing only to unveil the truth later. But she saves the biggest surprises, and the most touching ones, to the very end. How much will a woman put up with in the name of love? That is a question with enough depth to keep any book club talking well past the first bottle of wine.