Introduction

Sally Hepworth novels are "sure to appeal to fans of Jojo Moyes, Jodi Picoult, and Lisa Genova; book clubs will be lining up." ?Library Journal (starred review)

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?secrets about abandonment, abuse, estrangement, and the deepest longing for family. Imbued with heart and humor in even the most dismal 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.

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Excerpt

When the doctor gave Alice Stanhope the news, she was thinking about Zoe. Was she all right? Was today a bad day? What was she doing? In fact, Alice was so swept up in thoughts of Zoe that when the doctor cleared his throat, she startled. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

Sonja, Kate, and Alice all have service-oriented jobs but are very isolated when it comes to their personal struggles. Where do we see key moments in the story when they begin to open up their personal lives to others? What prompts these changes and why were the women so isolated before?

Where do we see examples of different characters hiding information in order to protect each other? In each example, do the secrets improve or worsen the situation? Would you make the same decisions?

In this novel we see two women struggling in their marriages in very different ways. Sonja wonders, “Then again, what did it mean to make a marriage succeed? Was it simply about staying together? Or was there something more she should be striving for?” How do you define a successful marriage?

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