Secrets of Midwives (Hepworth)

The Secrets of Midwives 
Sally Hepworth, 2015
St. Martin's Press
336 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250051912


Summary
Three generations of women … Secrets in the present and from the past … A captivating tale of life, loss, and love…

Neva Bradley, a third-generation midwife, is determined to keep the details surrounding her own pregnancy—including the identity of the baby’s father— hidden from her family and co-workers for as long as possible.

Her mother, Grace, finds it impossible to let this secret rest. The more Grace prods, the tighter Neva holds to her story, and the more the lifelong differences between private, quiet Neva and open, gregarious Grace strain their relationship.

For Floss, Neva’s grandmother and a retired midwife, Neva’s situation thrusts her back sixty years in time to a secret that eerily mirrors her granddaughter’s—one which, if revealed, will have life-changing consequences for them all.

As Neva’s pregnancy progresses and speculation makes it harder and harder to conceal the truth, Floss wonders if hiding her own truth is ultimately more harmful than telling it.

Will these women reveal their secrets and deal with the inevitable consequences? Or are some secrets best kept hidden? (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—June 10, 1980
• Where—Australia
• Education—Monash University
• Currently—lives in Melbourne, Australia


Sally Hepworth is a former Event Planner and HR professional. A graduate of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, she started writing novels after the birth of her first child.

She is the author of Love Like The French (2014, published in Germany). The Secret of Midwives (2015), The Things We Keep (2016), and The Family Next Door (2018).

Sally has lived around the world, spending extended periods in Singapore, the U.K., and Canada, and she now writes full-time from her home in Melbourne, Australia, where she lives with her husband and two children. (From the publisher.)

Book Reviews
Big in-house excitement will help along this tale of three generations of midwives by Australian author Hepworth. Midwife Neva Bradley refuses to reveal the details of her own pregnancy, which unsettles her mother, Grace, while reminding grandmother Floss of her own situation 60 years previously. And Floss has her own secret that she doesn't want revealed.
Library Journal

Discussion Questions
1. Grace’s response to Neva’s refusal to reveal the identity of her baby’s father is complex: "Despite my shock and frustration, a pleasant surge of adrenaline rushed through me…Neva was rebelling. And despite my desperation to know the parentage of my grandchild-­‐to-­‐be, I was excited." What does Grace mean by this? Why does she feel this why? How do we see the relationship between Grace and Neva change as the story progresses?

2) As Floss tells the story that she has been hiding bit by bit throughout the novel did you have any guesses as to what the secret would ultimately be? How did your predictions change as the story was revealed? Did the truth surprise you, or were you able to figure it out?

3) Did you have any guesses as to who the father of Neva’s baby was? Were you surprised when he was finally revealed?

4) Reflect on the structure of the novel. How does having all three women’s viewpoints give us a complex, richer picture of the women’s individual stories? How do Floss’s flashbacks to her past give us insight into their present situation?

5. We are able to observe as Grace weighs her options for how to proceed during the homebirth that results in her suspension. Do you think she did the right thing during the birth? What would you have done in her position? Did your opinion of what she did remain the same or change after the conversation she has with the investigator from the Board of Nursing?

6) What did you think of Grace’s decision to continue to deliver babies secretly during her suspension? What was your response to Robert’s reaction when he found out?

7) Grace expresses strong views on the differences between delivering a baby in a hospital versus in a birthing center versus at home. What are the differences? What are her arguments for homebirth? Do you agree or disagree with her?

8) Did you learn anything new about midwifery, birthing, or pregnancy in general while reading this novel? What surprised you most about the birthing scenes?

9) When Neva watches Grace hold Mietta as they are about to leave the hospital she observes that, "They were connected by so much more than a gaze. I would have said it was a biological pull, but now, thinking of Gran, I wasn’t so sure." In your opinion, what is it that defines a family? What creates a familial bond?

10) Throughout the novel we see characters forced to confront unexpected situations and grapple with how to handle and react to them, knowing that their reactions will not only greatly affect themselves but the other people involved. Put yourself in the position of different characters such as Mark, Imogen, Patrick, Sean, Floss, and Neva. How would you react if you were faced with their situations? Were there certain characters that you felt especially sympathetic towards? Were there others with whom you disagreed?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)

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