Book Review: Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards - Page 2

The jarring irony in all this is that David based his decision on his own childhood. He grew up watching his own parents live in the fear of losing his sister, who also had Down Syndrome. She was chronically ill, born with heart defects and had no chance of surviving into adulthood. It was David's need to protect Norah from the sorrows of raising a child such as his sister that forced him to give Phoebe away, never understanding how the death of a child would impact his wife, or any mother. At the same time, David acting as if the baby was never born, causes Norah to turn from him as he continues to frustrate and anger her more as years pass.

Both David and Norah eventually find interests away from each other, creating a wider chasm in their relationship. There are other people brought into this book, all with much to add to the story, including Norah's free-spirited sister Bree, caught up in the turbulent '60s; and Al, a truck driver who helps Caroline and the baby the night they flee, becoming an integral part of their lives. You follow the children and see how they thrive in their own ways and follow the years as one family thrives and the other one deteriorates.

This book shouldn't be mistaken for a romance, nor should it be thought of as a soap opera set out on paper; it is neither. It is simply a wonderfully crafted tale of two sets of people tied together by the lie of one man. What is most fascinating though — comprising the power behind the novel -- lies in the paths of each of the twins as they grow up in separate environments.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter isn't the kind of book I'm accustomed to reading but it was recommended to me by a friend. I am now making a recommendation to others to give it a read. While not perfect, it gives us a view of the past and much to think about.

Article Author: Ginger Haycox

I am an unwilling, nomadic soul looking for a place to put down permanent roots. I have lived in too many of these 50 states, as well as 3 Canadian provinces. So who am I? I admit I'm still learning. Suffice to say, I am different things to different people. …

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