“The Frozen River” is Ariel Lawhon’s newly published book. It is a historical fiction mystery based on a true story from 1789.
While waiting in a doctor’s office, Lawhon found out about Martha Ballard and it sparked the idea to write a book about her. Martha Ballard is the midwife’s name, but midwives did much more than deliver babies during this time. They tended wounds, performed autopsies, and more. Martha was born in 1735, and she died in 1812. Lawhon researched Martha Ballard’s diaries to inspire the events in the book. She wrote everything in these diaries for several decades, including all the case information.
In the late 18th century, a man was found in the ice of the Kennebec River in the small town of Hollowell, Maine. The local midwife and healer named Martha Ballard gets called to inspect the body and determine the cause of death. She believes that he was murdered, and this creates her to dive deeper to find the answers about the murder trial and a rape trial that happened earlier.
In her diary, she writes about every birth, death, murder, and fiasco that unfolds in the small town, including the case of a rumored rape case that happened four months earlier. The man found in the ice is also one of the men who are accused of being a part of the rape case. Martha thinks the cases are connected, but does not know how yet. Her diary becomes the center of a scandal that could tear apart her family and the community.
Before the story starts, there is a map of the Kennebec River and many places around it. Sophomore Jessica Fisher said, “I heard about this book and thought nothing about it from the title, but when I looked up after my friend told me to, I saw a map in the beginning, which is cool. It sounds super good, and I can’t wait to read it.” There are six different parts to this novel, and at the beginning of each one, there is a title to tell about it and another quote each time from a play by William Shakespeare. Junior Jordan Otte said, “I’ve heard of Ariel Lawhon before and thought her books sounded excellent, but I have never read them myself. Now that I’ve heard about this book, I think I might start reading books by her.”
Lawhon is a New York Times best-selling author of historical fiction books. Many of her books have been translated into different languages. She has seven published books as of 2023. Her writing career started in 2014 when her first book, “The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress”, was published. Published in 2020, “Code Name Hélèn” is her most famous book. Her books are mostly historical fiction with a little mystery weaved in. “The Frozen River” is a great book for anyone who is interested in historical mysteries.
