I’m always interested when I see an “Oprah’s Book Club” seal on a novel, and I’ve never yet been disappointed. They are always haunting, thought-provoking, realistic stories. Once again, I was not disappointed.

The story is from the point of view of the 14 year old daughter (Connie) of a Vermont midwife (Sibyl). The girl grows up in a loving, free spirited, open-minded home, raised by two ex-hippies. Her mother’s desire to midwife grows from an experience she had during her hippie years of helping a friend give birth (they were too stoned to drive to the hospital). The mother soon later finds she is pregnant with Connie and proceeds to settle down. However, she has been bitten with the baby bug and trains to be a midwife, subsequently “catching babies” for many years. She is a traditional midwife, not medically trained. But she is a good one who checks the women thoroughly for any sign of distress, weakness or illness before and during the birth. If there are complications she makes them go to a doctor.

On a cold stormy Vermont night, the unthinkable happens. A birthing mother actually dies (or so it seems). She had a very difficult birth, one that Sibyl would normally take to the hospital. But the roads are frozen and the phone lines are down. It is impossible to leave the house. The mother appears to have a stroke and die. Then, Sibyl performs a c-section to save the baby who is still alive inside her.

Later, it is discovered that the woman may not have been dead when Sibyl cut her open. It’s possible that the midwife actually committed murder. What follows is a dramatic story of her trial combined with her daughter’s struggle to become an adult herself.

I loved this story because of its contradictions. It was written with a sense of humor, yet it explored the most serious events and emotions humans experience- life, death, love, fear. It explores the difference between midwives and doctors, hippies and soldiers, lawyers and juries. It is a deep and rich story about women, but it is written by a man. It’s a good trial story, but also a wonderful human story.

This book and others by Chris Bohjalian: