Title: The Frozen River

Author: Ariel Lawhon

Genre: Historical Fiction, Thriller

Rating: ★★★★★

Why I read it: Recommendation from a friend

We have ourselves a comeback! After an utterly disappointing last read, this was a rebound I greatly needed. At 432 pages, I finished in less than three days, which should tell you just how riveting it is. 

The Frozen River is a historical fiction based on the real life of Martha Ballard, a midwife in 1700s Maine. As a midwife and healer, she is called to examine the body of a man found dead and frozen in the river. What unfolds is a series of revelations about the ongoings of the town, centering around an alleged rape that occurred four months prior. As Martha works to uncover the truth, she learns just how far some are willing to go to stop her. 

From the very first pages, I was hooked on this story. The author has a beautiful way of pulling you into the world of the characters and creating a space for you to get truly immersed, almost to the point where, at times, I felt like I was in a movie. Each main character felt well developed, yet most of their physical traits were left to your imagination, which created space for me to make each character my own. The story unfolded nearly as I expected, but that didn’t detract from the surprise reveals at the end, making the ending very satisfying.

Another plus: Martha is a feminist icon, and the book reads as a love letter to the quiet feminism that occurred during that time. This book is a complete 180 turn from the last book I read which reduced women to mere sexual objects (what a relief!). I do have to say, though, at times it felt like the author was trying a little too hard to make a point about present-day politics by drawing attention to different acts of feminism throughout this novel. By the end of the book, I found myself doubting that the women of this time truly had as many rights as the author portrayed. I didn’t let this reduce my rating, however, because regardless of its roots in historical events, it is a work of fiction, and I think the author’s intent to tell it the way she did justifies the, perhaps, bending of the truth.

Some interesting quotables that lean into my point regarding the portrayal of feminism as a commentary of present day politics:

• Page 66: “Clearly the writers of the law know little about women and nothing about childbirth.” 
• Page 167: “Witchcraft. As though there is no other explanation for a woman who excels at her work.”

A special shout out is owed to Ephraim for being the best husband. I loved learning the details of the marriage between Martha and Ephraim, and it was refreshing to see a couple together for 35 years still being so in love. The level of support he gave Martha was wonderful and I hope that piece isn’t too far from the truth.

Other positives to note: 1) The author’s note at the end was a fantastic addition and as someone who loves going behind-the-scenes, I loved getting inside the author’s mind to learn about the process for this book. I wish all books included this detailed of an author’s note. 2) In the same vein, the inclusion of the font description made my heart happy. 

Now, for some light criticism. Even though I rated this five stars, there is always room for improvement!

I love a map at the beginning of a book, which this book had, but I didn’t reference it as much as I thought I would. Instead, I wish there had been a list of the main families of the town. There were a couple of times that felt confusing with the amount of names, but I was able to sort them all out without too much trouble.

If you plan on reading this, CHECK YOUR TRIGGER WARNINGS. This one is on me, for sure, but for some reason, I didn’t connect the dots that a story about a midwife would have so much detail about childbirth. Go figure. 

Lastly, some of the prose felt repetitive. For example, Martha would repeat a describing characteristic about someone, and then several pages later, she would say the same thing again. A minor annoyance, but something I noted, nonetheless.

Although this wasn’t perfect, I give it five stars because I’m a sucker for a book that can bring me in quickly and hold my attention throughout. I was fully lost in the story, and to me, that’s a testament of a truly great book. 

TL;DR: Would I recommend it to a friend? YES! If you like historical fiction and thrillers, I can’t recommend this enough.