November Read: "The Frozen River" by Ariel Lawhon ❄️

For November, we're heading to 1789 Maine, where the river and the truth both run cold.

What would you burn to protect your own?

This story is based on a real woman and her real diary. A midwife who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when females were considered best seen and not heard.

As a midwife and healer, Martha Ballard is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in her small town. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and catastrophe that unfolds in the close-knit community.

So when the frozen Kennebec River thaws, releasing a man trapped in the ice, Martha is summoned to examine the body and determine the cause of death. Months earlier, she had documented the details of an alleged rape committed by one of the town’s most respected gentlemen. A man who has now been found dead in the ice . . .

And when a male physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident and not murder, Martha's meticulous diary (which implicates those she loves) becomes the thread that could unravel everything. Or get her killed.

It's a story about family in all its complicated glory. A marriage built on love and respect that will be tested. Grown children pulling in opposite directions. Household bonds stretched thin by loyalty and accusations.

Bring your hot takes on Martha's choices, your loyalty rankings, and your 'could I survive 1789?' opinions.

398 pages
historical fiction