Flashback Friday is a weekly tradition started here at Bookshelf Fantasies, focusing on showing some love for the older books in our lives and on our shelves. If you’d like to join in, just pick a book published at least five years ago, post your Flashback Friday pick on your blog, and let us all know about that special book from your reading past and why it matters to you. Don’t forget to link up!

This week on Flashback Friday:

Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
(published 1997)

 Synopsis (Goodreads):

The time is 1981, and Sibyl Danforth has been a dedicated midwife in the rural community of Reddington, Vermont, for fifteen years. But one treacherous winter night, in a house isolated by icy roads and failed telephone lines, Sibyl takes desperate measures to save a baby’s life. She performs an emergency Caesarean section on its mother, who appears to have died in labor. But what if—as Sibyl’s assistant later charges—the patient wasn’t already dead, and it was Sibyl who inadvertently killed her?

As recounted by Sibyl’s precocious fourteen-year-old daughter, Connie, the ensuing trial bears the earmarks of a witch hunt except for the fact that all its participants are acting from the highest motives—and the defendant increasingly appears to be guilty. As Sibyl Danforth faces the antagonism of the law, the hostility of traditional doctors, and the accusations of her own conscience, Midwives engages, moves, and transfixes us as only the very best novels ever do.

Midwives is the fifth book written by prolific author Chris Bohjalian, who has to date published 13 novels, with a 14th due for release in July 2014. Tightly written and movingly told, Midwives is the tale of a woman who means well — but did she do more harm than good?

Told from the perspective of Sibyl’s daughter, the events are not always clear, and we’re continuously reminded that the narrator herself may have a vested interest in how this all works out. Midwives works as a human interest story, personal tragedy, and courtroom drama. It’s a fast-paced read that’s just impossible to tear your eyes away from once you get started.

This was the first book by Chris Bohjalian for me, and I’ve been a fan ever since! He never repeats himself, and his books cover new topics and new ground in interesting, unexpected ways. For now, I’m looking forward to the release of his upcoming book, Close Your Eyes, Hold Your Hands, which sounds completely different — and pretty terrific!

What flashback book is on your mind this week?

Note from your friendly Bookshelf Fantasies host: To join in the Flashback Friday fun:

• Grab the Flashback Friday button
• Post your own Flashback Friday entry on your blog (and mention Bookshelf Fantasies as the host of the meme, if you please!)
  
• Leave your link in the comments below
  
• Check out other FF posts… and discover some terrific hidden gems to add to your TBR piles!

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