Book Review: The Birth House

This February I am going to Quebec City with my family. Though I have been to Canada before, I don't remember much about it. Of course as an avid reader, I must read a lot of Canadian literature before going. I find that a nation's literature tells a great deal more about the people and culture than any tour guide can. It is for this reason I have devoted myself to reading as much CanLit as possible in the next month and a half.

I started my marathon with The Birth House by Ami Mckay. I chose this novel because it was nominated (and perhaps won) an award for best debut fiction. I love to try new authors, so I thought this would be a great fit for me. From the first page, I was hooked!

Mckay writes a story of a young woman, Dora, who is the only daughter in a long line of sons. When he family can not longer support her, she lives with Mrs. B, the midwife in the community. Dora learns Mrs. B's ways which include the folklore and traditions of midwifery. Both of their worlds are shaken when a young doctor moves into the area and opens a hospital for women. The affluent members of the community embrace the new doctor and his contemporary practices and in turn ostracize Mrs. B and Dora. Husbands in the town begin to favor the doctor over Mrs. B who they believe to be a witch. However, women still call upon Dora and Mrs. B for their expertise and calming methods. The skills that Dora learns under Mrs. B forever changes her life and her view of women.

 The first two parts of this novel focus on Dora's development as a midwife and woman. These parts are captivating and I often found myself incapable of putting it down. Mckay intersperses diary entries and news articles and letters throughout the narrative. I found this to be a bit distracting at first but her technique grew on me. I was also impressed with how she was able to discuss issues of women's rights without making the novel a feminist tome. Sadly, the third and final part of the novel did not live up to the previous two sections. In the third part, it seemed that Mckay tried to tackle too many issues ranging from life in Boston during and after WWI to the Spanish Influenza to Babe Ruth and the Great Molasses Flood. Due to this, the final part focused less on the development of the characters and more on a cursory look at these historic events. It is for this reason that the novel seemed to fizzle out and lose the explosive power that it had the first two parts. Still, I would recommend this novel as the first two parts greatly make up for the slightly stale taste of the final part.

I am anxious to read what Mckay writes next as I think she has the potential to be a fantastic writer!

-DLP