Published 28th October 2021 by Headline Review.
From the cover of the book:
She shone the torch around and spotted some names written on the wall: Clara, Sara, Megan. Who were these girls and what had they been doing in there? She clicked open the old trunk and pulled out a leather-bound book, opening it on the first page: 'Tessa James, Patient Notes'. She began to read...1969: On New Year's Eve, while the Hiltons of Yew Tree Manor prepare to host the party of the season, their little girl disappears. Suspicion falls on Bobby James, a young farmhand and the last person to see Alice before she vanished. Bobby protests his innocence, but he is sent away. Alice is never found.
Present day Architect Willow James is working on a development at Yew Tree when she discovers the land holds a secret. As she begins to dig deep into the past, she uncovers a web of injustice. And when another child goes missing, Willow knows the only way to stop history repeating itself is to right a terrible wrong.
For decades the fates of the Hilton and James families have been entwined in the grounds of Yew Tree Manor. It all began with a midwife's secret, long buried but if uncovered could save them from the bitter tragedy that binds them. And prove the key that will free them all...
Are you ready to discover the midwife's secret?
*********************
1969: On a snowy New Year's Eve tragedy strikes the Hilton family of Yew Tree Manor as they prepare for a glamorous house party, when their six-year-old daughter Alice runs off to look for her missing puppy, and vanishes without a trace. The last person to see her was local boy Bobby James, who is blamed for her disappearance based almost solely on the fact that his family and the Hiltons are in dispute, despite his claims that he had nothing to do with it.
2017: Willow James is a promising architect looking for her first major project. When the Yew Tree development is offered to her by her boss she jumps at the chance to find out more about a place closely linked to her own family history - a past that her father is reluctant to talk about. As the plans near completion, Willow discovers that Yew Tree hides a secret, but it is not until another Hilton girl goes missing that she finds she might be the one who holds the key to saving her, and putting right the wrongs of the past.
Willow must delve back into history to the beginning of the bad blood that grew between the Hilton and James families - all the way to 1945 when a midwife was falsely accused of a terrible crime that happened at Yew Tree Manor...
The Midwife's Secret is a sweeping tale about two families bound together by secrets and lies that have fateful consequences for them all. The story plays out in three timelines: 1945, when the terrible injustice of a midwife accused of a tragedy she is not responsible for tears her family apart; 1969, when Alice Hilton mysteriously goes missing; and 2017, when Willow James is determined to uncover the truth about the past.
At its heart, this a mystery story, and a compelling one at that, as it holds the captivating stuff of a saga about a family feud birthed by secrets and cruel lies. Right from page one, I was caught up in the threads of this tale, held spellbound by the way Emily Gunnis weaves the three timelines together and slowly reveals the secrets that practically everyone here is trying to keep hidden - secrets that all hinge on the heart-rending tragedy of a falsely accused midwife.
There are some lovely circular themes that infuse this book, echoing down the generations in a way that displays an absolute masterclass in plotting. Gunnis keeps a tight rein on the way events play out in all three timelines, building tension in each as the shocking toll of dysfunctional families, jealously, revenge, and heart-breaking injustice ripples though time.
Injustice is the central theme, and Gunnis uses this rather cleverly to bring in many aspects of historical and contemporary discrimination and inequality - the influence of wealth and class, abuse of power in its many forms, and the rights of women are subjects that run through the piece beautifully. I was impressed by the way Gunnis explores the conflict between the age-old craft of midwifery, the Church, and the growing power of regulated medical practitioners, working this into a modern 'witch hunt' - although actually reading these parts of the story made my blood boil!
However, there are many touching moments in this story too. The love of family, where genuine love exists, really stands out for me, especially the close bond between mother and child. In many ways this drives the story just as much as the darker emotions do, and ultimately it is love that wins out in the end.
This is the perfect kind of read for cosying up in the sofa with now the nights are closing in, with the kind of characters that will pull you in until their triumphs and tragedies have all played out. Highly recommended!
The Midwife's Secret is available to buy now in hardback, ebook and audio formats from your favourite book retailer.
Thank you to Headline Books for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.
About the author:
Emily Gunnis previously worked in TV drama and lives in Brighton with her young family. She is one of the four daughters of Sunday Times bestselling author Penny Vincenzi.
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