THE BIRTH HOUSE

AUTHOR: Ami McKay
ISBN#: 0-6769-7772-3
PUBLISHER: Knopf Canada

Ami McKay is a phenomenal storyteller! I rank this novel right up there with "The Red Tent", my all-time favourite book. I read 'THE BIRTH HOUSE' in two sittings and would have done it in one, had I of had the time. I didn't want this story to end, I could have kept reading and reading and reading...

In five generations of Rares, Dora Rare is the first daughter to be born. Living in the isolated village of Scots Bay, Nova Scotia, there isn't much to do other than help her mother care for her many siblings. Dora doesn't mind helping but feels mindless caring for children all day.

Miss Babineau is an outspoken Acadian midwife who has been helping to birth the babies of Scots Bay for many, many years. Miss Babineau is believed to have a gift of healing and uses a combination of herbs and folks remedies to treat and cure everything from unwanted pregnancies, to cramps, to birthing babies and even unfulfilling sex lives. Quite astonishing for this particular era.

During the early years of World War I, Miss Babineau takes Dora on as her helper as she is aging and beginning to slow down. Miss Babineau takes Dora under her wing and teaches her all the secret folk remedies she knows and carefully explains procedures to young Dora. Dora herself, is infatuated with Miss Babineau and her knowledge. Some of the town folks don't particularly like Miss Babineau and suggest to Dora that she stay away from this crazy woman.

Soon, Dr. Gilbert Thomas shows up in Scots Bay with promises of painless and fast births and sets up a Medical Clinic down the mountain. Miss Babineau thinks it's proposterous that woman be expected, or would even want to, travel down the mountain during their labour to seek medical attention from Dr. Gilbert. With meetings held at the church, the bold medical doctor soon convinces a few women that his painfree method of childbirth and his vibratory cures for women suffering from hysteria, would be well-worth just such a trip.

Dora and Miss Babineau continue their folk remedies and the business of birthing babies the best way they know how. When Dora encounters her first stillbirth, she is beset with sadness. Dora also quickly learns that some of these women's husbands are not the nicest, most caring or loving human beings on earth and her heart and compassion is displayed to these women in small, subtle ways.

Upon Miss Babineau's death, Dora is left to carry on alone and hopes she can remember all the recipes and herbal concoctions that she was taught. No one believes that Dora can carry on and faces great opposition and must hold her head high, gather up her strength and courage to continue to fight and protect the birthing traditions that Miss Babineau began.

In the wake of the great Halifax Explosion, Dora must carry on as best she can and finds she must leave Scots Bay for a short time and goes to Halifax where she stays with friends. I won't say anything else about the story for fear of giving too much away.

What I will tell you is that THE BIRTH HOUSE is an unforgettable novel of how women struggled to keep the Acadian midwife's traditions alive in the face of modern medicine.

If you're interested, Ami McKay has a wonderful interactive website set up for THE BIRTH HOUSE at: http://www.thebirthhouse.com

Book Rating: ***** (5 out of 5)