The Midwife’s Touch
China Deliverance Creed was born with a little bit of magic. Anyone who touches her receives, willingly or not, the thing they wish most in that moment. Afraid of those who might take advantage of China’s gift, her mother Yvette hides them away in a little cabin high in the Ozarks. Yvette makes China gloves and avoids kissing her on the forehead, lest an inadvertent brush of skin brings treasures that can’t be explained to neighbors.
As a young girl, China is apprenticed to the local Cherokee healer, learning herbalism and midwifery and how to manage the town’s superstitions and prejudice. Under both her mother and her mentor, China grows up with love and knowledge, but without human touch. When, years later, she meets a man willing to give her that, China shares the secret hidden for decades, opening herself up to dangers both emotional and physical.
From this intriguing premise, of a woman craving touch so much that she gives up her freedom, Harrison delivers an introspective and well-written novel. She lets the reader get close to China, feel her yearning and her isolation, and then empathize. The Midwife’s Touch is undoubtedly a novel about magic, but it’s not fantastical. Rather than being merely a plot point, the magic is a part of China’s character, her motivation, and the obstacle to her happiness. This is a character-driven novel, and a good one, but it’s more than just character and emotion. It’s also a story of family—both those we’re born to and those we create—as well as love, hope, and sacrifice. As a bonus, Harrison offers extensive author’s notes on the history and culture of the nineteenth century Ozarks. A thoughtful and interesting novel.
