We didn’t have to look too far for the next entry in The Informal Book Club of 2024. The Missus read this for her book club and instead of both of us going through lists of books and trying to find one we both wanted to read, I just suggested reading this one as well, she agreed and I dug in to see what The Frozen River was all about.
I’m not quite sure what to file this book under. You could call it historical fiction, or biographical fiction, you could even call it mystery. It blends elements of all three genres to create something that I found to be immersive, intriguing, and well-written. This isn’t a genre I usually dabble in, so I wasn’t sure what to expect- but to say that I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. (This is a really good book.)
Even though historical fiction isn’t usually my thing, on occasion I am a sucker for a good murder mystery, and while I’m not super well-read in the genre, whether you go back to Dorothy L. Sayers and Lord Peter Whismy or Agatha Christie and her characters of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, the center for every good murder mystery is an excellent ‘detective’ who is memorable, unusual and stands out- in the case of The Frozen River, it’s Martha Ballard.
The book opens in Maine in 1789 and winter has closed in, freezing over the Kennebec River. Martha Ballard is the local midwife and is summoned one day to examine the body of a man pulled from the ice, she determines that the cause of death appears to be murder due to the burns and scarring around his neck that is indicative of a rope. The man in question is Joshua Burgess who, along with the local Judge Joseph North, was accused of raping the Minister’s wife some months before.
Martha, as the midwife is called to give testimony to the local courts on a variety of matters- including deaths. Her position means that she is one of the only women who can testify without the permission or presence of her husband and when called to testify about the body found in the ice, she gives her conclusion, only to have it undermined by a newly arrived physician- a man, who says it was nothing more than an accident.
Convinced that her conclusion is the correct one, Martha is forced to investigate the murder on her own. As the winter deepens its hold on Maine and the trial draws nears, Martha begins to uncover the truth, little by little— even though it seems that the truth might implicate those whom she loves and Martha has to decide where her ultimate loyalties lie.
(I can’t give much of a plot summary than that without spoiling it— but needless to say, there’s a bit more to it than that and you should absolutely read this book.)
Gender and power dynamics are important themes that run throughout this book. I’m not super well versed in the history of the time, but Lawhon seems to have done her homework and if there are inaccuracies here, I think you would have to dig to find them and if there are any, I think you could grant Lawhon some leeway for writing a work of fiction.
Martha, as the local midwife, has an unusual amount of authority and power for the time and her gender. Although the arrival of the fancy new Doctor does undermine her practice, after he risks the life of one of her patients by giving them laudanum, word gets around town about the incident and eventually she manages to extract a promise from the Doctor that he will leave the birthing to her and only her. (I would say this is also a good example of how practiced knowledge can be more important than acquired knowledge— something the Doctor with all his book learning is forced to concede in the end as Martha does have more experience in her field than he does.)
But even beyond that, Martha has a big family and several of her daughters are of the right age to court and/or look for husbands and how they approach that and seeking the approval of her husband, Ephraim to court and/or even take the daughters out to local social events seems like the patriarchal structure that you would expect. But as Martha tells Ephraim, ultimately, it’s the woman who does the choosing— so patriarchal values and structure do rule, but it’s not as clear cut as you might think. I think this portrayal might be closer to the reality of gender relations for the time and place than we think. Women are still in a position of inequality, but that doesn’t mean that in certain areas they don’t have some power— but as the book underlines, when it comes to their bodies, they don’t have power.
Martha’s frustration with the lack of power that women have- especially when it comes to rape is palpable and you, the reader, feel that as well. The Minister’s Wife does make an accusation of rape against Joshua Burgess (the dead man) and the local Judge, Joseph North- and her testimony along with Martha’s diary entry manages to force an actual trial on the matter, but ultimately, the Minister’s Wife does not come to testify. Her lawyer has the written testimony instead and her absence— because she admits that she didn’t think it would matter— proves fatal, as the Judges acquit the accused on the charges.
Ultimately, the acquittal isn’t the end of the story as Martha keeps pursuing the truth and eventually finds it. Justice is administered in the end though not in the way I was expecting at all.
Overall: the nice thing about this book is that it’s self-contained. I feel like there’s a temptation in murder mysteries to find yourself in a series writing book after book after book and while a series of books on Martha Ballard, midwife detective could be interesting the fact that Lawhon carefully grounds this not just in early post-Revolution America, but on actual events moves that idea gently to one side and puts it on the shelf where it belongs.
Probably the biggest revelation of the book- that’s not spoiler-y in the least is that Martha Ballard was a real person. She did keep a diary and at some point, someone did level a rape accusation against local judge Joseph North. Lawhon kind of took things from there. I have the hardest time trying to write in the first person, so I have to give flowers to people who can do that and do it well— Lawhon makes Martha come alive. But the contrast in pace is also really interesting to consider— the winter of 1789 is called ‘The Long Winter’ in the historical record and Lawhon manages to make the winter seem very, very long while at the same time, Martha’s job of a midwife requires some urgency. How the contrast in pace doesn’t clash, I don’t know- but somehow, it doesn’t.
If you weren’t already impressed with Martha Ballard being a real-life midwife, Lawhon adds some more knowledge. She is the Great Aunt of Clara Barton (founder of the American Red Cross) and the great-great-grandmother of Mary Hobart, one of the first female physicians in the United States. Whether her diaries were passed down through the family to inspire her descendants I don’t know, but one thing is clear: Martha Ballard left a legacy to follow her.
(I have said it before and I’ll say it again: as we approach the 250th Anniversary of this Grand Experiment/Hot Mess Express we call ‘America’ I feel like it’s worth underlining that the Revolutionary War- even though it promises took decades to be fulfilled and still isn’t for many to this day- belongs to no political party or politician. It’s not a red state or a blue state thing. It’s all of us. I firmly believe every American should own at least one Revolutionary War flag and more people should know about folks like Martha Ballard.)
A page-turner made more powerful with its connection to actual events, The Frozen River was not what I was expecting in the best of ways. My Grade: **** out of ****