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Midwives: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian

"Chance is the strangest word in the world, isn't it?" Cheryl might begin, speaking slowly at first but gathering momentum like an obese teenager on skis. "One syllable, six letters. It's a noun, it's a verb. Change one letter and it's an adjective. And everything about it scares the bejesus out of so many people; it's this thing they try to avoid at all costs. Don't travel to the Middle East these days--there's a chance something could happen. Don't get involved with that new fellow on Creamery Street--I hear a lot of mud was scraped off his floor after the divorce. Don't have your baby at home--there's a chance something could go wrong. Don't, don't, don't...Well, you can't live your life like that! You can't spend your entire life avoiding chance. It's out there, it's inescapable, it's a part of the soul of the world.