The Frozen River

 

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Fiction

2023

Finished on July 27, 2025

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

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.

This is my first read by Ariel Lawhon, and I'm beginning to think that maybe I shouldn't have given up on her earlier novel, I Was Anastasia. While it took me two weeks to read The Frozen River, I really enjoyed the story and Lawhon's writing. The birthing details are not for the squeamish, and one delivery reminded me of my daughter's birth, which wound up an emergency C-section. The novel would make for a great book club discussion, and I'd love to see a limited TV series, as well. I'm looking forward to trying more by Ariel Lawhon and will most likely try Code Name Helene.

A satisfying read. Recommend.