West Branch Book Club

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

We read a variety of contemporary fiction and nonfiction and meet monthly for discussion in person and virtually via Zoom. April's book: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

The West Branch Book Discussion Group reads a variety of contemporary fiction and nonfiction and meets the last Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the West Branch or on Zoom. Books are available for checkout at the West Branch. For more information, contact discussion facilitator Becky Clark at rclark@aurorapubliclibrary.org or call 630-264-4262.

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Book description:  The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day. (Goodreads)

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