Book #20 Week #18, The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Let me start by saying my husband thinks I am nuts. We had gone to the library together and I grabbed two books (this one and the next one) because I recognized the titles. However I knew this book was on my to-read-list, couldn't remember what it was about and didn't bother to read the jacket (I do this often btw) but he read the cover and wished me luck.

Well The Memory Keeper's Daughter is an emotional book and hit sort of close to home which made it more emotional for me. We start off during a rare blizzard in 1964 when Dr. David Henry's wife, Norah, goes into labor three weeks early with their first child. The pair head off to David's clinic where his partner just so happens to be an OB/GYN but due to the storm David is forced to deliver the baby himself with only the aid of his nurse. The delivery goes smoothly with David remaining calm and cool and the nurse Caroline, druging up Norah at just the right moments. Before you know it a little boy has entered the world perfect as can be but he is soon followed by a little girl, however the little girl has Down's Syndrome. Unfortunately in 1964 little was known about conditions such as these and often the affected children were placed in institutions, luckily things have a way of changing and when my brother-in-law and his twin sister (her with Down's Syndrome and he without) were born in the mid 1980's the family remained intact .


David makes a rash decision while his wife is still unaware of the second baby and he hands the little girl to Caroline along with an address of an institution for her to take the child to. Reluctantly Caroline agrees to go with the promise from David that he will tell Norah about the little girl. However when she reaches the institution and sees the state it is in she decides she cannot leave a helpless baby there so they go home together. At first Caroline, unmarried and childless in her thirties, is torn between wanting to keep the baby and hoping David and Norah have a change of heart and come to claim their daughter. But a few days later she sees it, a memorial in the newspaper for the Henry girl lost at birth, then the decision is made for her. She leaves town and takes on a new role of mother and advocate for children with learning disabilities. 


Life goes on and despite having a healthy child at home Norah find it very difficult to move on from the daughter she believes died at birth. David is consumed with so much guilt and Paul their son has a hard time connecting with his emotionally distant parents. Meanwhile not too far away little Phoebe is having a wonderful life.


I loved The Memory Keeper's Daughter I thought it was surprising full despite having quite a few characters to follow. And although I did cry a bit it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be so don't be afraid to give it a shot.


Quote:
“You can't spend the rest of your life tiptoeing around to try and avert disaster. It won't work. You'll just end up missing the life you have.”