The Memory Keeper's
Daughter begins in Kentucky. In the middle of a terrible Blizzard Dr. David Henry is forced to help deliver his own
twins when his wife Norah goes into labor. Caroline Gill is Dr. Henry's nurse who worships him from afar. Caroline comes to the clinic to help the doctor and Norah.
Norah gives birth to twins. The first is Paul, a healthy beautiful boy. The second
child is Phoebe. The doctor notices immediately that his child has downs syndrome. He flashes back to his own childhood where he watched his sister's illness and death tear his
family apart. David decides to tell his wife that the child was stillborn and send Phoebe to an institution where she will be given the care she needs and his family will be spared the heartache of
Down syndrome.
David convinces the nurse Caroline to take the child away and swears her to secrecy.
Caroline is unable to leave the infant and relocates to another city to raise the child herself. She spends years trying to create a safe, fair place in the world for Phoebe, making sure that she got the education she deserved.
David's lies eat away at him. Creating a space between him and the family he wanted to protect.
Norah struggles to let go of the daughter she never knew and can not understand why her husband is trying to bury the subject of their daughter with her body. This makes it hard for her to mourn properly.
The next three decades keep two families tied together with a secret that most of them aren't aware of. In it's conclusion, their son Paul is left with the undeniable truth. That happily ever after is a myth. That good people are flawed. That you can attempt to right wrongs but in the end all you can do is choose not to repeat them.
Kim Edwards takes us to the heart of several very complicated issues in The Memory Keepers Daughter. It is written in painstaking detail and most likely not the best read for someone looking for a fast paced, dramatic novel. The sentiment in this book can be rather overwhelming at times.
Overall, I found The Memory Keepers Daughter a beautifully written story that slowly builds to create a powerful message of family and the ties that bind them.
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