How do Tully’s young children, especially Miles, contribute to the novel’s exploration of intergenerational trauma? Consider how Tully’s upbringing has shaped how she parents her own children?

Stephen Aston uses his professional authority as a respected surgeon to lend credibility to his gaslighting and manipulation. Analyze the specific ways his social status and medical knowledge become tools of coercive control, both within his family and in public settings like the hospital.

Pamela Aston inherits the money in the hot water bottle from her own mother. How does the novel depict matrilineal protection and support? In your answer, consider how Heather, Tully, and Rachel mother each other as well.

Describe how Tully and Rachel’s sibling relationship evolves over the course of the plot. Consider their relationship at the novel’s beginning and the way it shifts throughout the narrative. In your answer, also address how their father contributes to their initial relationship.

Heather often feels like an outsider with the Astons because she did not grow up in a wealthy family. Discuss how Heather’s understanding of the Aston family, and her relationship with its members, changes as she gets to know them better. How does this changing understanding inform her character arc?

Analyze Rachel’s investigation of their family and her conclusion that Stephen was abusive to his wives. How does the narrative support her claim? Consider his treatment of his daughters in your answer.

Discuss how The Younger Wife uses the settings of the Astons’ affluent homes, from Tully’s mansion to Stephen’s pristine house, to reinforce the themes of the novel.

The epilogue reveals that Pamela was suspicious of Stephen but unsure about what to believe about her marriage. Discuss the novel’s exploration of marriage through the couples presented throughout the novel. What is Hepworth trying to say about marriage and its participants?