I am a big fan of Ariel Lawhon’s writing style, having first read Codename Helene in one sitting and then gobbled down I Was Anastasia in a matter of hours. The Frozen River is yet another wondrous piece of art to add to her repertoire in my eyes.

I am a stranger to the timeframe and location this book is set in, late 18th-century Maine, so the setting had me intrigued from the start. I don’t know what it is about a semi-remote, small town space that makes thing infinitely more interesting (maybe the fact that everyone knows everyone and things are a lot more personal in such situations) but I like it. What I also liked is the occupational opportunities Martha has for the plot. I know that there is a certain limit to the fabula of a story, that is the possibilities within the world created, but there’s just something about being a midwife in a rural town before the innovations of modern medicine and law come into common practice that makes a really flexible character. She can be more than her role requires her to be, and often is doing far more than expected of her, while also asserting herself through the power of her profession in a time where men often had power and the final say.

The establishment of relationships throughout the novel, both decades-old connections and budding young love, are such refreshing elements to see given the context. There is room for debate as to the legitimacy of such romantic success in a time where wedding for money, status or to simply continue a family lineage took precedence, but I think that it’s fundamental to a story such as this to have a strong, healthy, long-lasting relationship at the heart of it. Martha is not diminished as a person being married to Ephraim, and neither is he to Martha. Both are fully functioning adults capable of making their own decisions and respecting the decisions made by each other regardless of where they stand on the matter. This trust and love for each other is evidently seen in their children, adults with their own lives, relationships and families of their own. Side note: the fact that we have a protagonist in her fifties who has grown children of her own, who has grandchildren, being the heart of such a story is praise-worthy in itself.

The plot is well-paced, the tension and suspense keeping up and holding the reader’s attention when times are at peak interest, and the story itself isn’t difficult to follow. The wording is simple, yet detailed and gripping, vivid in its description and character building. These characters, no matter their position in the book, are brought to life by the carefully chosen words and respect Martha gives them. The professionalism displayed by Martha makes each character (even the little babes) feel genuine and real and not just a name on a page. There’s care given by both the main character and the author in illustrating this world and recording these people as authentically and humanely as possible.

The Frozen River is a great reminder for me to reread Codename Helene and to keep plucking up historical crime fiction as I meander through book recommendations and new releases. I find such joy in reading a great book like this and I hope that you take this opportunity to add The Frozen River to your tbr lists.