Well, Jolina has done it again. Since I finished The Outcast, I have been waiting for her sophomore novel, The Midwife. She did not disappoint. Once again, Jolina (I will always refer to this author by her first name since she is a friend of mine) enters the Tennessean Mennonite community as the backdrop for The Midwife. Like The Outcast, Jolina takes on multiple personas to create a story that is told from the mid 1990's and today.
The narrators include Roda--the head midwife at Hopen House, a place for young unwed mothers who is keeping a long and dark secret--Beth--a graduate assistant, who is a surrogate for her professor and narrates from the past--and Amelia--a teenager who is the newest resident at Hopen House with an undiscovered past of her own. Each narrator has a distinct and independent voice.
Through her two novels, Jolina has developed a style with her use of foreshadowing and elevated diction. Quite often I had to read The Midwife with a dictionary nearby.
The Midwife constantly made me question my own opinions of surrogacy and rights of birth parents throughout the reading. Jolina's themes served their purpose by constantly making stop and think. I am not usually swayed by an author's writing, but Jolina's novel continuously played with my emotions during my reading.
While writing The Midwife, Jolina suffered a miscarriage. Reading the stories of the three narrators absolutely broke my heart to think about what Jolina endured during her writing process. Just like with The Outcast, Jolina has left me wanting more. The Midwife is a great summer read for all ages. Please read and enjoy!
To read my review of The Outcast, click here.
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