The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

When Sally Hepworth puts out a new novel, I race to get it. I would describe this book as a domestic thriller sprinkled with a dash of corporate crime. But in the acknowledgements at the end, the author describes it as an unconventional murderous love story. I think I like that better.

Gabe and Pippa live in a little sleepy seaside town just outside of Melbourne. Their home is one of many that line a cliff overlooking the ocean. Gabe has saved several people off the cliff, which is known as "The Drop" as it has the reputation of being a suicide spot. Early in the novel Gabe rushes out to a woman standing on the edge and when Pippa is busy calling the police, she jumps. What's troubling to Pippa is that she sees Gabe's arms outstretched, palms out, just after the woman's fall. Shortly thereafter Pippa finds out that the woman was Amanda Cameron, wife to Gabe's former boss, Max Cameron.

We learn that what makes Gabe a hero is also what threatens to break him. According to Pippa he is a beautiful contradiction, as fragile as he is brave. Gabe jumps around from job to job and while Pippa is deeply infatuated with her husband, she recognizes that something about Gabe has always felt fleeting. He suffers from an unnamed mental illness, and we learn what it is at the end. We also learn that his illness isn't responsible for his actions. That's all Gabe. I think that's an important distinction.

There are two excellent twists in this book, one about halfway through and one at the end. Narrated in parts by Pippa AND from dead Amanda, the story unfolds in Hepworth's straightforward yet riveting style.

The characters in this novel come alive and the narrative takes a microscope inside two marriages. One in which the partners value loyalty above all else and the other in which they value fidelity above all else. But according to dead Amanda, sometimes loyalty is warranted and sometimes it's not. I love that just when you think you have this story figured out you learn differently. You know you have a good one in your hands when you don't want to finish it because you don't want it to end! This was an excellent read.