The Midwife's In Town: A Novel

by Kate Jessica Raphael

The future is now. Roe v. Wade is history.

Abortion is becoming illegal state by state, with the South leading the way. Virginia is the latest domino to fall.

Mollie O’Shay, a retired nurse-midwife from California, packs her bags for Richmond to work in an underground abortion clinic. She starts seeing clients an hour after she steps off the plane. Soon she meets Toni, an alluring, possibly gun-toting anthropology professor. But Mollie isn’t quite who she appears to be, and secrets from her past are about to catch up with her, jeopardizing everyone involved in the clinic.

Genres: Fiction

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 22, 2022

About the author

Kate Raphael is a San Francisco Bay Area writer, feminist and queer activist, radio journalist and law firm clerical worker. She got her BA at Oberlin and an MA in political science at UC Berkeley. She lived in Palestine for eighteen months as a member of the International Women’s Peace Service, documenting human rights abuses and accompanying Palestinians as they attempted to live normal lives under occupation. At the end of her time in Palestine, she was imprisoned for over a month by the Israeli authorities and eventually deported. In 2011, she won a residency at Hedgebrook. She produces the weekly radio show, Women’s Magazine, on KPFA/Pacifica, which is heard throughout Northern and Central California. Her writing from Palestine has been included in the anthology Peace Under Fire (Verso), Reclaiming Quarterly and Left Turn.

She lives in Oakland, California, where she organizes direct action and educational campaigns for social and economic justice, queer liberation, opposing militarism and Palestine solidarity. She was a founding member of Act Against Torture, opposing US human rights abuses and indefinite detention. She is featured in the film Shutdown: The Rise and Fall of Direct Action to Stop the War.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

There will always be ideologues with unbridled appetites for control. Misogyny is ubiquitous as slime mold. And, as exemplified by the characters in The Midwife's In Town, you can't stop humane communities from defending themselves against such all-too-human threats. Kate Jessica Raphael has written a page-turner that will keep readers laughing AND gnashing their teeth as retired nurse-midwife Mollie O'Shay juggles her own complicated past, irrepressible appetites, a knack for on-the-spot judgement calls that land her in all kinds of trouble, and an unwavering commitment to be her patients' "last hope for a chance to go back and make the same mistakes again." A terrific read.

[M.B. Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt like I knew the women in this story, which takes you on a wild ride with a midwife hired by an underground health clinic shortly after the repeal of Roe v Wade. It’s scary, and funny, and also gave me a real sense of hope after Roe fell. No matter what happens in this country, women will continue to help each other; and this gave me a glimpse of one way.

[Michael Sasson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raphael is skilled at weaving page-turner suspense, political intrigue and laugh-out-loud humor. This book is both a fun read and in a by-the-way fashion teaches us something about how to accomplish good deeds in difficult circumstances.

It's more than worth the read and I'm glad it was written.

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absorbing fast paced novel of underground women's health care after Roe v Wade is overturned, politics and personal dynamics of women's relationships. Enough twists and turns to keep the reader going.

[Lise Weil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both throwback and fast-forward, hilarious and alarming, this is a mystery novel with a sharp political edge.
A crew of mostly queer BIPOC feminist activists in Richmond VA—among them a radical gender scholar—pool their collective energies to help desperate young girls end unwanted pregnancies. Roe v Wade has been overturned; abortion providers are murderers and dyke, other gender rebels and Jews are unwelcome. Our heroine, a retired nurse from out west and also an ageing lesbian Jew, is drawn into a hot romance almost on arrival.
Kate Raphael is a master plotter—keeping us guessing and absorbed till the very end. Keep this book by your bed and you will lose a LOT of sleep.

[Barbara Ridley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Raphael has created an all-too-possible world where Roe has been overturned, and abortion providers can be charged with felony murder in states throughout the South. Her spirited protagonist is a retired nurse midwife who travels from San Francisco to volunteer in an underground abortion clinic in Virginia, where she lands in all sorts of trouble. The mysteries unfold one after the other in this fast-paced novel, with the tension interlaced with laugh-aloud humor, culminating in a well-written courtroom drama scene. We also get a lesbian romance dispelling any preconceived notions of a 70-year old woman being too old to enjoy sex. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A future dystopia that may be a year or two away. Onerous abortion laws plague the South, but a surreptitious clinic is open in Richmond with an out-of-state nurse practitioner. A rollicking quick read with characters full of secrets, dangerous situations, and hope around the corner.

[Julie Twichell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend reading this book. Not only is it timely but it's engaging, surprisingly entertaining, and you can learn something immensely relevant to our current struggles for reproductive rights.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this timely novel, Roe v. Wade has been overturned and pro-choice supporters face felony charges as well as right-wing hate. This story is both terrifying and hopeful. Highly recommended!

[Donna Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was published before the leak of the Supreme Court’s draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. Yet it foretells what we might soon see now that illegal abortion appears imminent. Raphael paints a realistic picture of underground activism, self-righteous enforcers, and women whose choices have been taken away. Serious subject, yes, but in this author’s deft hands, it’s presented with sensitivity, masterful storytelling, and a surprising amount of humor. The characters are finely-drawn, the dialogue is sharp, plus, there’s plenty of mystery and romance. This was a book I didn’t want to put down. And one that will stay with me for a long time.

[Deeg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read

An interesting plot with compelling characters and an unfortunately timely theme Let’s hope it does not come to this. Loved the references to the pre roe days.