The Last Midwife
About
‘I’m going to snuff out the old witches – every last one of them!’
Childbirth in England is a state-controlled procedure. Midwives have been outlawed for decades. Only a handful remain, risking everything to help mothers give birth in secret, but now their very existence is under threat.
When young nurse Chiara arrives from Sicily, her dreams are quickly shattered by the horrifying truth behind the pristine walls of the Genesis Centre. Meanwhile, Rava, the privileged wife of a government official, finds her perfect life unravelling when her pregnancy fails to meet her husband’s requirements.
Their worlds collide in a desperate fight for life, choice, and humanity against a system determined to control the future, one baby at a time.
Praise for this book
In this story, babies, referred to as Neonates, are only allowed to be born via a C-section. Midwifery is banned. Despite the ban, there are some who continue to practise the "dark art" of midwifery in this highly medicalised world. The storyline is compelling, with some unexpected twists to keep it interesting. The narrative arc builds up well, with a well-written rising action for the main characters. I found myself reading faster and faster as it progressed towards the climax. I could not put it down at the end- just as gripping as a Robert Harris novel!
Feminist dystopian thrillers have been hitting eerily close to reality lately, and The Last Midwife brings that discomfort home. Set in a chillingly plausible time, it echoes real-world horrors: from forced sterilizations to coerced abortions driven by state's policy. It's London living a nightmare worse than Gilead.
A memorable, moving and insightful page-turner that's tense and unnerving from start to end.