First published 2000
Kate Banner leaves her comfortable life in the United States to work as a midwife in a Central American country ravaged by civil war. She arrives determined to help women and children caught in the crossfire of violence. The makeshift clinic becomes her world as she delivers babies under the sound of gunfire and treats wounds that speak to larger traumas. Kate struggles with the overwhelming need around her while navigating the complex politics that have torn the community apart. Local women teach her about survival and resilience even as they depend on her medical skills. The war forces impossible choices between safety and service. Kate must decide how much of herself she can give to a cause that seems both urgent and hopeless. Her work becomes a bridge between two worlds, but the cost grows heavier each day. The story explores what it means to heal others when the wounds run deeper than medicine can reach.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Central America
Period: 20th-century
325 pages · Paperback · Macadam Cage Pub
Content warnings: violence, war