Synopsis: Barnes & Noble
Published: 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction Thriller
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.
My Review
Martha Ballard is a midwife in Maine in 1789.
Joshua Burgess was found dead in the frozen Kennebec River. Martha records her days in a diary, documenting every birth, every conversation, and even the weather. Occasionally, she is called upon to examine bodies and determine causes of death, though this doesn’t happen very often. When Martha examined Joshua’s body, she determined that he had been beaten and hanged. Martha began to investigate his murder because, when she asked the men who pulled him from the river if anyone had seen the rope he was hanged with, they all said no.
A few months earlier, Martha had been called to Rebecca Foster’s residence after she was raped, to examine her. Rebecca had never reported the rape to anyone besides Martha. At the time of the assault, Rebecca’s husband was away on business. Rebecca revealed to Martha that she had been raped by Joshua Burgess and Joseph North. Joshua was the man found in the river, and Joseph is one of the town’s judges.
A new, flashy doctor from Harvard arrived in town and claimed that Joshua wasn’t murdered. He contradicts everything Martha says and does, boasting about his medical degree from Harvard. Little does he know that Martha will later be the one to save his wife and child.
Martha’s life with her husband, Ephraim, and their children is detailed throughout the novel. Her family keeps her grounded, as she serves not only as a midwife but also as an herbalist.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is set in a time when women were expected to be seen and not heard. It was a time when women weren’t allowed to testify in court unless their husbands or fathers were present. Martha stood up for what was right, regardless of the situation, and she defended others no matter who they were.