Review: Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

Title: Midwives
Author: Chris Bohjalian
Publisher: Vintage
Publication Date: August 13, 2002
Category: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction

When a single decision during childbirth changes everything, Midwives becomes not just a story about medicine, but about morality, justice, and the fragile bonds of family.

A boulder on a chain, tied around a family’s neck. That’s how heavy Midwives by Chris Bohjalian feels after Connie’s mother, Sibyl Danforth, makes the unthinkable decision to perform a cesarean section on Charlotte Bedford when she appears to die during childbirth. It’s up to the reader to decide whether Sibyl’s act was brave, foolish, reckless, or all three. No matter what conclusion one reaches, it’s clear that this is a tremendous weight for a family to carry for months and then years, and even more so when Sibyl’s daughter, Connie, is at such a transformative age.

The premise is as fascinating as it is burdensome. Did Sibyl perform a C-section on a living woman? Did she kill a woman or save a baby? Should women be allowed to give birth in their own homes, tended by midwives instead of doctors? Should Sibyl allow Connie so close to the case, even though she would be affected regardless? These are some of the questions I found myself asking while reading, and they’re questions I’ll continue to ponder long after finishing. The story is never dull, though the pacing does snag in a few places. Even so, I stayed rapt through those sections because I wanted (no, needed) to know how Sibyl would be found at the end of this novel that was part family drama, part courtroom reckoning.

It would be nearly impossible not to connect with at least one or two of the characters, with all their evident flaws and virtues. The story is narrated almost entirely in the first person by Sibyl’s daughter, Connie, who experiences all this between the ages of 13 and 15, a pivotal time in anyone’s life, and Bohjalian does an excellent job of making her perspective feel authentic. Her voice is intelligent and relatable as she looks back on this chapter of her life. The beginnings of chapters are first-person diary entries from Sibyl herself, allowing the reader glimpses into her thoughts and, likely, what truly happened. Many readers, myself included, will relate to her passion for her profession and her deep care for her patients. And naturally, it would be hard not to connect to Charlotte Bedford, the patient who dies, as the manner of her death and its consequences weigh heavily over the story.

I related less to Connie’s father and her mother’s lawyer, Stephen. They were believable, but the reader could’ve been given a few more details to make them feel fully alive. Still, even these quieter characters add to the sense that everyone in this novel is carrying a burden, whether visible or not.

By the end, I felt both heavy and grateful. Heavy for what these characters endured, and grateful that Bohjalian made me care so deeply about them. Midwives is not an easy read, but it is an honest one. It will likely resonate most with middle-aged female readers, as childbirth and a woman’s right to choose where she gives birth are central themes. Readers who enjoy Jodi Picoult and the morally impossible choices her characters face will likely be drawn to this as well. And, of course, anyone who appreciates complex family dynamics and the lengths one will go for love will find Midwives deeply rewarding.

Nerd Rating: 🤓🤓🤓🤓– A heavy, thought-provoking novel that lingers long after the final page.

Let’s discuss: Would you have made the same decision Sibyl did, or would fear and doubt have stopped you?

Find more about Midwives on Chris Bohjalian’s official website.