I was searching my local library for something that looked decent and I came across The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards, which I have seen before but never really looked at until now. I figured that many people thought it was good and as I am currently attempting to expand my horizons and read items that would normally have passed under the radar, I decided to give it a go.
The story begins with a young family - a doctor and his wife who is pregnant with their first child. Norah, the wife, goes into labor in the middle of a snow storm and so Dr. Henry is forced to deliver what turns out to be twins, with the help of a single nurse, Caroline. The first child is a healthy boy but the second is a girl with all the signs of Down's Syndrome. In a flash decision, Dr. Henry gives the girl to Caroline, telling her to put the child in an institution and then tells his wife that the child died. Caroline, unable to leave the child in the institution meant for the feeble-minded, takes the child to raise as her own. What follows is the story of how these two children, Paul and Phoebe, grow up.
This is essentially a story about consequences: what happens to a family with just a single decision and how it can change lives forever. Even those who are not aware of the decision are directly affected by the waves made. The story-telling is well done and you care about the characters, even when poor decisions are made. For the most part, the main characters are fulled rounded off - they are human, at their best and, in places, at their worst. They make mistakes but there is usually a surrounding mass of history underlying each choice, just as real life often seems to work out.
While I was left with a few questions, besides the inescapable "what if's," I found the story compelling and empathized with the plight of several of the characters. It's not a fun book but I am glad I found this one, and may have to get a copy of my own in the future. This is definitely a piece of literature worth re-reading.
Rating: 4.0
Saturday, March 8, 2008
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I'm glad you liked this book! I liked it as well...I just thought that the emotions were right on and how the consequences of their decision affected each character. :D Have a good weekend!
Trish - Edwards did a very good job on this, especially in her ideas of consequences. I am glad you liked it, too!
I felt very much the same way about this one. Very tragic and a lot to think about.
Post a Comment