Book Description:
When a middle-aged couple downsizes to the countryside for an easier life, their two daughters become isolated, argumentative and violent … A chilling, vicious and darkly funny psychological thriller from bestselling author Helen FitzGerald.
Desperate to enjoy their empty nest, Penny and Andeep downsize to the countryside, to forage, upcycle and fall in love again, only to be joined by their two twenty-something daughters, Asha and Camille.
Living on top of each other in a tiny house, with no way to make money, tensions simmer, and as Penny and Andeep focus increasingly on themselves, the girls become isolated, argumentative and violent.
When Asha injures Camille, a family therapist is called in, but she shrugs off the escalating violence between the sisters as a classic case of sibling rivalry … and the stress of the family move.
But this is not sibling rivalry. The sisters are in far too deep for that.
This is a murder, just waiting to happen…
Chilling, vicious and darkly funny, Keep Her Sweet is not just a tense, sinister psychological thriller, but a startling look at sister relationships and they bonds they share … or shatter.
My Thoughts:
If you ever think your own family is dysfunctional, then wait until you meet the family in this book!
The story alternates between a few of the characters but mainly Camille, the younger sister and Joy, the therapist. It doesn’t take long to realise there are a lot of issues within this family. They call on Joy to try and get them back on an even keel but the further into the story I got, the less that seemed likely to happen.
The characters aren’t overly likeable although I liked Camille and Joy the best. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Camille and what she has to put up with, especially with her elder sister Asha. Asha really isn’t that likeable and more than a few times I wanted to give her a good slap! Camille maybe the youngest, but seems to be the one who they all rely on to be the adult. Joy on the other hand is struggling with her own family issues never mind trying to help others with theirs!
Keep Her Sweet is an engrossing family drama with a dark twist. I enjoyed the dry sense of humour which did make me chuckle on occasions. The author knows how to pen a compelling and entertaining read and before I knew it, I had devoured this novel in no time at all. The tension that builds up between the sisters intensified and it had me on the edge of my seat throughout. An absorbing page turner!
My thanks to Anne Cater for an invite to be part of the blog tour and to Orenda Books for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
Helen FitzGerald is the bestselling author of ten adult and young adult thrillers, including The Donor (2011) and The Cry (2013), which was longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and adapted for a major BBC drama. Her 2019 dark-comedy thriller Worst Case Scenario was a Book of the Year in the Literary Review, Herald Scotland, Guardian and Daily Telegraph, shortlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and won the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award. Her latest title Ash Mountain was published in 2020. Helen worked as a criminal justice social worker for over fifteen years. She grew up in Victoria, Australia, and now lives in Glasgow with her husband. Follow Helen on Twitter @FitzHelen.
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