The Mother’s Promise by Sally Hepworth

• Title:  The Mother’s Promise
• Author:  Sally Hepworth
• Pages:  368
• Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
• Published:  February 2017 – St. Martin’s Press
• Source:  Publisher

Description:  All their lives, Alice Stanhope and her daughter Zoe have been a family of two, living quietly in northern California. Zoe has always struggled with crippling social anxiety and her mother has been her constant and fierce protector. With no family to speak of, and the identity of Zoe s father shrouded in mystery, their team of two works until it doesn’t. Until Alice gets sick and needs to fight for her life. 

Desperate to find stability for Zoe, Alice reaches out to two women who are practically strangers, but who are her only hope: Kate, a nurse, and Sonja, a social worker. As the four of them come together, a chain of events is set into motion and all four of them must confront their sharpest fears and secrets about abandonment, abuse, estrangement, and the deepest longing for family.

Imbued with heart and humor in even the darkest moments, The Mother s Promise is an unforgettable novel about the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters, and the new ways in which families are forged.  (publisher)

My take:  After reading the blurb for The Mother’s Promise I had no doubt it would be an emotional read. And it was. But don’t let that stop you from reading this novel. Yes, it’s about people facing devastatingly difficult circumstances but the characters were relatable on one level or another. I found myself asking What would I do? on more than one occasion.

My heart went out to fifteen year old Zoe who dealt with social anxiety disorder. How would she handle her mother’s illness and the possibility of life after her mother was gone? I couldn’t even imagine Alice’s (Zoe’s mother) dilemma of who would see to Zoe’s care in the future. I thought Zoe’s school experiences rang true in how she was treated by schoolmates and teachers. Zoe’s friend Harry was a godsend in more ways than one – especially in making her see she wasn’t alone in how she felt.

Two professionals involved in Alice and Zoe’s case will become very important to them. Each is dealing with personal heartache but go above and beyond when it comes to supporting Alice and Zoe. The Mother’s Promise is a heartfelt novel that I can recommend to fans of Sally Hepworth and contemporary fiction.

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About the author:

Sally Hepworth is a former event planner and human resources professional. A graduate of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, Sally started writing novels after the birth of her first child. Sally has lived around the world, spending extended periods in Singapore, the UK, and Canada, and now writes full-time from her home in Melbourne, where she lives with her husband and three young children. She is currently working on her next novel.

Visit Sally’s Website at: http://www.sallyhepworthauthor.com