by Graham Joyce
First published 2005
Fern Cullen has spent her life learning unconventional wisdom from Mammy, the village midwife who taught her that secrets matter, men disappoint, and neighbors should stay out of each other's affairs. When one of Mammy's patients dies after taking an abortion-inducing potion, the townspeople turn against the old woman's traditional methods. Mammy suffers a devastating fall and lands in the hospital with a broken heart to match her broken bones. Now Fern faces eviction notices piling up while strangers arrive with cryptic connections to Mammy's past. A group of unwashed hippies and a woman wearing distinctive hoop earrings seem to hold the only clues to saving both Fern's home and Mammy's damaged reputation. As Fern digs deeper into the mystery, she discovers that her mentor's legacy contains more than herbal remedies and birthing techniques. The world around her shifts in unexpected ways, revealing a inheritance steeped in ancient practices that blur the line between medicine and magic. Fern must navigate this transformed reality to protect everything she values.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, fantasy, magical-realism
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, inheritance
Setting: Village
Period: 20th-Century
263 pages · Hardcover · Atria Books