Review: "The Orphan Mother" by Robert Hicks

This is a uniquely different story about reconstruction in the South. Mr. Hicks weaves a tale of love, loss and intrigue into an unforgettable novel that will resonate with you long after you have turned the last page. Mariah Reddick is a former slave who is the midwife for Franklin, Tennessee, a town devastated by battle during the Civil War, struggling to remake itself during reconstruction. Passions run high between the races as they wrestle to live together. Mariah’s son is a young man, eager to make a difference. He thinks the best way to do this is to be in politics and prepares to make a speech with the other politicians. This causes quite a stir and Mariah and her son’s lives are changed forever. Tole, a drifter from New York City, steps in to try and help pick up the pieces and make the tragedy right.

I loved Robert Hick’s two previous novels, The Widow of the South and A Separate Country and this one did not disappoint, and in fact it is my favorite. I enjoy his writing style. He starts when Mariah is an elderly woman and tells the story, as if she is remembering it. He develops her character slowly, by allowing us to see how her life is unfurling as a free woman. He introduces Tole and allows you to get a glimpse into what makes him tick and why he is a drifter and what haunts his days. A major development in the relationship between the two is hinted at but you are compelled to keep reading to see how it plays out. As a side note, he also reintroduces the Widow of the South and illustrates how her life has progressed after the battle at Franklin.

If you have read the author’s previous book, by all means, pick this one up. In my opinion, his story telling is getting better and better. If this is your introduction to him, you will enjoy the bittersweet love story and mystery and conspiracy that fills the pages. I recommend this book for teens to adults. The violence in the story could be just a little too graphic for young readers.

I requested and received this book for review from NetGalley.