Ariel Lawhorn
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is inspired by the diary entries of an 18thC midwife and healer, Martha Ballard. The novel unfolds in two threads with different time frames. The opening thread is set in Hallowell, Maine, in 1789, when Martha is summoned to examine a body discovered in the frozen river. The body is one of the two men accused of raping Rebecca Foster. Martha concludes the man was beaten and hung before being thrown in the river. The second and much shorter thread goes back three decades in time and includes background on Martha’s family and early life in the Hallowell community.
The novel includes excerpts from Martha’s actual diary as she tries to piece together who murdered the accused rapist. She testifies in court proceedings about the murder and includes in her testimony the accusation of rape. But her efforts and the efforts of the young rape victim are complicated because the second alleged rapist is a judge and a respected member of the community. In between court appearances, testimonies, and her own investigations, Martha is called upon to assist one woman after another during labor and delivery. Most of these women are giving birth out of wedlock, which causes the rumor mill to flourish with questions of paternity. Complications ensue when Martha and her husband are threatened with an illegal eviction, when one of their sons is accused of the murder, and when the Rebecca discovers she carries the child of one of her rapists.
The novel is slow-paced and meandering. There is a lot of exposition which drags the narrative. The second thread, which goes back decades, does little to add to the main thread of the novel other than to suggest Martha, herself, had been raped. The smatterings of citations from Shakespeare’s plays felt pretentious.
As a character, Martha is not very sympathetic. She comes across as arrogant, self-righteous, and condescending. Her relationship with her husband is overdone and unrealistic. They have sex almost every time they interact as if they are two hormonal teenagers who can’t keep their hands off each other. And one of the final scenes in which Martha lashes out violently at the second rapist to protect herself is predictable and bordering on farce.
All in all, a disappointing read.