The Soulmate
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4.2 • 602 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister and The Mother-in-Law with new novel Darling Girls out now.
'Endlessly mysterious. Sally Hepworth is a born storyteller' - Trent Dalton
Gabe is alone at the cliff's edge. His arms are outstretched, palms facing the empty air.
He said she jumped. He wouldn't lie.
Before the woman went over the cliff, Pippa and Gabe were happy. They had the kind of marriage that everyone envies, as well as two sweet young daughters, a supportive family, and a picturesque cliff-side home - which would have been idyllic had the tall beachside cliffs not become so popular among those wishing to end their lives.
Gabe has become somewhat of a local hero since they moved to the cliff house, talking seven people down from stepping off the edge. But when Gabe fails to save the eighth, a sordid web of secrets begins to unravel, pushing bonds of loyalty and love to the brink.
What wouldn't you do for your soulmate?
SHORTLISTED FOR THE NED KELLY AWARD FOR BEST CRIME FICTION 2023
PRAISE FOR THE SOULMATE
'Could not stop reading' - Holly Wainwright
'Masterfully designed ... The Soulmate examines love and loyalty, and how fare we're willing to go for the sake of family' - Mary Kubica
'Scalpel-cut insights into modern marriage and the things we overlook in the name of love' - Trent Dalton
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We found it almost impossible to tear our attention away from The Soulmate—an engrossing domestic thriller about a sudden death that blindsides a tight-knit Australian family. Pippa and Gabe appear to have a perfect relationship. But since they moved to their beachside dream home, Gabe has stopped seven people from ending their lives at The Drop—a steep cliff just beyond their back fence. When he can’t save the eighth, Pippa starts to sift through memories that make her question exactly what happened at the cliff’s edge, and their family life begins to unravel. We end up following two different couples, each navigating all the unsaid things in a marriage via quick-fire chapters and alternating viewpoints. Bestselling author Sally Hepworth (The Younger Wife) is an expert at crafting white-knuckle chapter endings and epic plot twists, while keeping her gaze on the central dilemma of the book: how much should we sacrifice for the people we love?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the year since Gabe and Pippa Gerard, the couple at the center of this twisty psychological thriller from bestseller Hepworth (The Younger Wife), moved to a beautiful cliffside house in Portsea, a sleepy coastal town a couple of hours outside of Melbourne, Australia, they have become aware that the breathtaking view from the cliff behind their house attracts not only lovers of spectacular sunsets but also the suicidal. So far seven people have come to the spot to die, and charismatic and caring Gabe has been able to talk them all out of jumping. When Amanda Cameron, the wife of Gabe's former boss, shows up near the cliff, Gabe goes out to work his magic. But this time the woman goes over the edge to her death. Was it really a suicide? Short, crisp chapters narrated by Pippa and by Amanda—depicting events both before and after her death—keep the momentum going, and the repressed friction between the Gerards and the Camerons helps build tension. Never mind that who's responsible for Amanda's death comes as no surprise. Fans of domestic suspense will be satisfied.
Customer Reviews
The soulmate
What a twist , which leads to a further unexpected resolution! A thoughtful and compassionate story of love, family, marriage and mental health. Highly readable and thought provoking.
Easy to read
3.5 stars
Author
Australian. Melbourne’s answer to Liane Moriarty.
Summary
Pippa and Gabe are a married couple with two four-year old girls who moved to a beachfront property at Portsea a year ago. By beachfront, I mean there’s a precipitous cliff front nearby “The Drop” that’s popular with those wishing to commit suicide. She’s a lawyer. He’s a house husband, and has become a minor local celebrity for “talking down” a series of the aforementioned would be suicide wannabes. Her sister and her parents live close by. The book opens the day Gabe fails for the first time. A woman falls to her death. Wifey’s watching from the kitchen window and thinks there’s something dodgy about it. (Spoiler alert: there is.) There follow chapters from her POV, both flashback and present day, alternating with the POV of the dead chick, which fill in the back story in a highly contrived homage to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. (Trigger warning: mental health issues)
Writing
Ms Hepworth is an accomplished practitioner of the suburban domestic drama sub-genre. This is not her best effort IMO. Classic fiction tropes abound. Character development is stilted and left no one to cheer for apart from the little girls. However, it is easy to read and well-paced, which dragged me along despite my misgivings.
Exhilarating story telling
Wonderful indulgence in this lovely story of humanity from the culture I know to well