The Younger Wife

Published in 2022, The Younger Wife is a domestic thriller by Australian author Sally Hepworth. The novel centers on the affluent Aston family, whose seemingly perfect lives are upended when Stephen, a respected heart surgeon, announces his intention to divorce his wife, Pamela, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Stephen plans to marry Heather, a woman younger than both of his adult daughters, Tully and Rachel. As the wedding approaches, the sisters’ suspicion of Heather and their concern for their mother lead them to unravel a web of dark family secrets. The story explores themes including Concealing Shameful Secrets with Social Status, The Corrosive Nature of Family Secrets, and Female Solidarity as a Means of Survival.

Sally Hepworth is a New York Times bestselling author renowned for her contributions to the domestic suspense genre, with popular titles including The Mother-in-Law and The Good Sister. Her work frequently examines the psychological complexities of suburban family life. The central plot device in The Younger Wife—a hot-water bottle filled with a secret stash of money—was inspired by a real-life discovery involving the author’s great-aunt, who hid her savings in a similar fashion. 

This guide is based on the 2023 St. Martin’s Griffin edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain depictions of physical abuse, emotional abuse, disordered eating, rape, mental illness, addiction, substance use, pregnancy loss, graphic violence, illness, and death.

Plot Summary

The novel opens at the wedding of Stephen Aston, a wealthy heart surgeon. The wedding is ostensibly marking Stephen’s second marriage (although it is eventually revealed to be his third). Stephen has two adult daughters, Tully and Rachel, with his former wife Pamela, who has Alzheimer’s disease. As Pamela’s disease progressed, Stephen fell in love with Heather Wisher, a significantly younger woman. Eventually, Stephen moved Pamela into an assisted living facility, and he and Heather began a romantic relationship. Their wedding is attended by Tully and Rachel, their families, Pamela, and a woman named Fiona Arthur, who is eventually revealed to be Stephen’s first wife. 

Immediately after the ceremony, Stephen is seriously injured in a mysterious incident. The details of this incident emerge gradually, interspersed with a past timeline of events that took place in the year leading up to the wedding. When Stephen and Heather first became engaged, Tully and Rachel were surprised and hurt to learn that their father was going to divorce their mother and remarry. They were also suspicious of Heather. 

In the months prior to the wedding, Rachel and Tully both faced significant challenges and upheavals in their life. Tully, who led a seemingly perfect life as a wealthy wife and mother, learned that her husband, Sonny, had lost most of their savings. She was also forced to confront her history of shoplifting and accept that her behavior as a kleptomaniac stemmed from a need for control and agency. Rachel, who owns a successful baking business, has hidden a traumatic past for decades: She was sexually assaulted as a teenager and has been unable to date or explore intimacy since that time. However, in the lead-up to the wedding, she began dating a man named Darcy, who helped Rachel feel a newfound sense of confidence and trust as she began to fall in love with him. 

Meanwhile, Heather experienced doubts and fears about her relationship with Stephen. Heather has a traumatic past: As a child, she witnessed her father abusing her mother, whom he eventually murdered. Heather is ashamed of her past, claiming that both her parents are dead. She also regularly uses alcohol to cope with painful memories. While Heather sometimes feels safe and loved with Stephen, she also observes his controlling and critical behavior (especially when she drinks). She sometimes suspects he may even be physically harming her, although her memories of these incidents are hazy, and Stephen always denies them. 

Without knowing about Heather’s suspicions, Rachel began investigating a mysterious incident months before the wedding. Among Pamela’s possessions, Rachel found a hot-water bottle stuffed with nearly $100,000 in cash and a note bearing two names: “Tully” and “Fiona Arthur.” When Rachel asked Stephen about it, he claimed not to know Fiona Arthur. 

Due to Pamela’s cognitive decline, Rachel could not get any reliable information from her mother. However, Rachel began to connect memories, observations, and strange statements made by Pamela, all of which painted an increasingly sinister portrait of Stephen. Rachel came to suspect that Stephen physically abused Pamela throughout their marriage while gaslighting her into believing that she injured herself due to clumsiness. This physical abuse may even have led to Pamela developing Alzheimer’s after repeated head trauma. 

Determined to find out the truth, Rachel tracked down Fiona Arthur. Fiona explained that she was Stephen’s first wife: He left her to be with Pamela. Fiona also confirmed that Stephen physically abused her. When Rachel confronted her father, he admitted that he was married to Fiona but denied any abuse. Rachel and Tully (to whom Rachel has confided her suspicions) are left torn between their growing doubts and their desire to believe that their father is a good man. 

Meanwhile, prior to the wedding, Heather finds out that she is unexpectedly pregnant. Stephen’s physical abuse intensifies, but he continues to deny these incidents, leaving Heather more confused than ever. After she loses the pregnancy (which Stephen may have perpetrated), Heather begins working with a psychologist who is a close friend of Stephen’s. Heather comes to believe that she may be projecting false suspicions of abuse onto Stephen due to her traumatic childhood. She decides to continue with the relationship, which grows closer when she finally tells Stephen the truth about her parents. He confides in turn, telling her about his marriage to Fiona. 

By the day of the wedding, none of the women is sure what to believe. Throughout the ceremony, Pamela behaves erratically, repeatedly handling a heavy candlestick. After the ceremony, while the immediate family is gathered in a small, private room, Pamela nearly hits one of her young grandsons while swinging the candlestick. Stephen restrains her. 

Rachel believes that, based on the violence with which Stephen handles Pamela, she has conclusive proof that her father is abusive. She instinctively lashes out and strikes Stephen in the head with the candlestick, causing severe injury. Immediately, Tully claims that Pamela hit Stephen, protecting her sister. Because Rachel and Heather now also believe that Stephen has been abusing Pamela and Heather, they corroborate the story. 

Stephen dies a short time later. In the aftermath of his death, Rachel, Heather, and Tully all grow closer and confide in one another. They sometimes question whether they can feel certain that Stephen was abusive but decide to trust their instincts. 

An epilogue from Pamela’s point of view reveals that Pamela received the money and the hot water bottle from her own mother when she was confronting both the first signs of memory loss and suspicions about her marriage. Pamela intended to investigate her suspicions that Stephen was abusive by meeting with Fiona; she wrote down Fiona’s name and also Tully’s as reminders of her intended plan (Pamela planned to rely on Tully if she needed help leaving Stephen), revealing that Pamela had doubts about Stephen, although she likely never had the opportunity to investigate them.