The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Ariel Lawhon writes about strong women in the historical record. She is easily one of the most compelling authors of historical fiction writing today. In CODE NAME HELENE, she wrote about a socialite who killed a Nazi with her bare hands and became one of the most decorated women of WWII. In I WAS ANASTASIA, she told the story of Anna Anderson's 50-year battle to be recognized as Anastasia Romanov. The list goes on. Her newest historical fiction novel, THE FROZEN RIVER features another strong woman – Martha Ballard – a midwife living in 1789 Maine. You might think this would be a quiet story about motherhood and midwifery – but you would be wrong.
Martha Ballard was a force to be reckoned with. When Lawhon came across a brief account of Ballard’s life in a devotional, she was determined to tell her story. Fortunately, Ballard was a meticulous keeper of a journal and Lawhon had access to it, as well as Ballard’s biography. Passages from that journal are sprinkled throughout THE FROZEN RIVER.
The novel opens with a mystery. A local man has been found frozen at the bottom of the Kennebec River, but the cause of death isn’t drowning, or even hypothermia, it’s hanging. As the local midwife and healer, Martha is called upon to determine the cause of death. Her diary from that date documents the baby she delivered earlier in the day, as well as the discovery of the corpse in the river and probable cause of death. Months earlier, she documented the details of an alleged rape. Now, one of the men accused of rape is dead and Martha is called to testify at the trial of the other, a local judge.
Lawhon vividly brings to life the months leading up to the trial -- the rising tension of the townspeople and their divided loyalties, the injustice endured by the women of the period who had little or no agency, and the brave and compassionate woman whose life calling is to give voice to the voiceless – women, babies, and those unable to speak for themselves. THE FROZEN RIVER is a paean to the unsung heroines, like Martha Ballard, who stood in the gap for the marginalized.
Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction. I am now obsessed with getting my hands on all of Ariel Lawhon’s books and reading every one of them. Her writing is evocative of the era and I was sucked right in, and the story was so compelling I found myself staying up late at night to finish. And the ending – oh my god, the ending – it is so terrifying and tender and satisfying ( I know hard to believe all those things can describe one ending – but they do!)
Listen to my author interview with Ariel Lawhon on Superior Reads on December 28 at 7pm and the 30th at 6am on WTIP 90.7 Grand Marais or on the web at www.wtip.org.
