Let’s talk about a book I cannot stop thinking about, shall we?

I finished Ariel Lawhon’s The Frozen River right before the end of the year, and afterward, I asserted that I needed to update my top books for 2023. That’s how good it was. Lawhon is a brilliant writer; her talent for storytelling and plot is incredible. I was transfixed from the very first page.

A little about the book

It is 1789 in frigid Maine when a dead man is found in the Kennebec River. Martha Ballard, the village of Hallowell’s healer and midwife, is called to examine the body and determine the cause of death. Martha recognizes the body to belong to Joshua Burgess, who is believed to have raped the pastor’s wife with another one of the town’s respectable gentlemen. Martha keeps a diary of all of her physical encounters/daily activities, and she soon finds herself investigating the murder and working to defend the people she loves.

My review

I give this book every star possible. A different subject for historical fiction, the book is inspired by the real Martha Ballard who delivered hundreds of babies in her lifetime and too kept a diary about her experiences. I absolutely loved Martha and how progressive she was for her time. She held a very prominent place in her town and had a very supportive and loving husband (I swoon over this man). She had the liberty to speak up and act in ways that other women in the village could not, and she used that privilege to every advantage. She was a true mouthpiece and advocate for women in her village and was at many times very brave to speak out against injustice.

This book was multilayered, and the author did a good job flipping from past to present. I appreciated not getting too much of the past; she wrote just enough for readers to get the importance so we can get back to the very gripping present. While there were many pieces to the plot, Lawhon wrapped it up quite nicely — and unexpectedly! — leaving my jaw open as I finished the novel. Really … she can write a damn book.

Wish there was more of the fox though … I miss her.

If you do read the book, please also read the Author’s Note, as you will get a lot of insight into her writing process and the real Martha.

And, if you do read the book, please note that there are many, many, many triggers and heartbreak, including rape, violence, stillbirth, death of young children, uneasy/messy births, language, attempted rape, etc.. I found myself having to put the book down a few times (currently pregnant with #2), so give yourself some grace if you have to do the same.