The Birthing House is the debut novel of American writer Christopher Ransom. The main premise of the story centers around the idea that the only thing scarier than death is birth. It is set in a fictional American town called Black Earth and revolves around an old Victorian house known as The Birthing House into which the main protagonist Conrad Harrison moves with his wife, Jo and their two dogs that they treat like children, with the aim of starting over and escaping from the country.