Ami McKay’s debut novel vividly captures the apparently quaint world inhabited by the people of Scots Bay, Canada. Dora Rare, the headstrong heroine, must decide whether to accept its modernisation or risk alienation by speaking up for traditional values. The only daughter in five generations of Rares, and born with a caul covering her head, Dora is regarded with suspicion and fear right from the start. By befriending Marie Babineau, the village midwife/witchdoctor, Dora further cements her position as a social misfit, too strange to attend her cousin Precious’s card parties – essential education for a young Scots Bay girl.
Dora’s relationship with Miss Babineau provides the material for the occasionally tedious soul-searching that makes up the bulk of the book. As a young apprentice to the mystical midwife, Dora is embroiled in the battle against the pioneering Dr Thomas, who is keen to bring the cold comforts of hospital care to the mothers of Scots Bay, all for the price of ‘what a family spends on coffee and tea each month’.
McKay creates a magical world, and her exquisite descriptions draw the reader further and further from reality. While sympathising with Dora may require readers to suspend belief in the benefits of medical progress, it would be misguided to view ‘The Birth House’ as simply a tale of science versus nature, technology versus tradition. It’s more of an attack on the readiness to embrace capitalism at the expense of community.
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