The river midnight - Lilian Nattel (First UK edition)

In the tiny Polish village of Blaszka, everything is divided – the Jews from the Gentiles, the women from the men, the magic from the reality!

It’s 1894 in Russian-occupied Poland. The Jews of the area are feeling relatively safe – there hasn’t been a pogrom in a few years. But even so, change is in the wind.

In Blaszka one woman stands out: Misha, the local midwife. She’s divorced and childless; some of the men think she’s far too independent. And now she is pregnant – who knows who is the father? For nine months, Misha carries her child, and the other women carry on their lives. As the rabbi begins to pray on the Day of Atonement, Misha goes into labour. The women must decide whether to stay in the synagogue or go to help the midwife. It’s not an easy decision. For every woman in Blaszka has her own secret and Misha knows most of them. But every woman in Blaszka has her own magic too.

The twentieth century is almost here, roaring down the tracks like the train from Warsaw. After it’s blown through, magic may be all that remains.