The Memory Keeper's Daughter: A Novel
by Kim Edwards | Literature & Fiction | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 0143037145 Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 0143037145 Global Overview for this book
Registered by 
ResQgeek
of Alexandria, Virginia USA on 4/30/2014
This book is in a Controlled Release!
ResQgeek of Alexandria, Virginia USA on 4/30/2014 This book is in a Controlled Release!
2 journalers for this copy...
From a batch of books a co-worker gave to to release.
This is a powerful story about the choices people make and the long lasting and often unexpected consequences that can arise from those decision. With each chapter narrated from a different character's perspective, this book delves deeply into the lives of the characters, exploring the fallout from the decision, early in the book, of Dr. David Henry to give away his unexpected newborn daughter, a twin, when he recognizes that she has Down's Syndrome. Unable to tell his wife the truth about his choice, he tells her that the daughter died in childbirth, and hopes that their healthy son, born just minutes earlier, will assuage any grief she might feel.
Because the choice made by Dr. Henry occurs so early in the book, it might be difficult to understand why he would choose as he did. But as the story unfolds and we learn more about his past, it is possible to empathize with his mindset and even come to understand why he thought it was for the best, even if we ourselves would not reach the same conclusion.
The intertwined secrets and lies that twist through the lives of these characters flavor their relationships, creating tension and conflict, even while most of those involve have no idea what the root source of the conflict is. Set against the changing social atmosphere of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, and contrasted against the deep poverty of Dr. Henry's Appalachian childhood, this story illuminates the complexity of our lives and relationships, showing us how even decisions made with the best intentions can become toxic when shrouded behind lies and secrecy.
Well written and compelling to read, this story is likely to linger in my mind for quite some time.
Because the choice made by Dr. Henry occurs so early in the book, it might be difficult to understand why he would choose as he did. But as the story unfolds and we learn more about his past, it is possible to empathize with his mindset and even come to understand why he thought it was for the best, even if we ourselves would not reach the same conclusion.
The intertwined secrets and lies that twist through the lives of these characters flavor their relationships, creating tension and conflict, even while most of those involve have no idea what the root source of the conflict is. Set against the changing social atmosphere of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, and contrasted against the deep poverty of Dr. Henry's Appalachian childhood, this story illuminates the complexity of our lives and relationships, showing us how even decisions made with the best intentions can become toxic when shrouded behind lies and secrecy.
Well written and compelling to read, this story is likely to linger in my mind for quite some time.
I bringing this book to share at today's BC-in-DC meeting. If no one claims it, it will be available on the OBCZ shelf at the Starbucks on Frontier Dr.
I read another copy of this book, so when I saw it at today's meetup, I decided to jot down its BCID and share my thoughts:
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One snowy night in the mid-1960s, a woman gives birth to twins: a healthy boy, and a girl with Down's Syndrome. The doctor-husband, fearing further misery, tells his wife the daughter died at birth. The nurse, rather than following instructions to send the child to an institution to be raised, moves to another city to raise the child herself. Years pass, lives change. I admit I devoured this book over the course of about two days, drawn to the characters and the constant suspense of whether the truth will ever come out. But this is not a happy story. It is, at best, bittersweet. Well-written and beautiful, to be sure (though the repeated comparison between infant hands and stars/starfish grew a bit tiresome), but kind of a downer over all.
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As far as I know, this book ended up on the OBCZ shelf.
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One snowy night in the mid-1960s, a woman gives birth to twins: a healthy boy, and a girl with Down's Syndrome. The doctor-husband, fearing further misery, tells his wife the daughter died at birth. The nurse, rather than following instructions to send the child to an institution to be raised, moves to another city to raise the child herself. Years pass, lives change. I admit I devoured this book over the course of about two days, drawn to the characters and the constant suspense of whether the truth will ever come out. But this is not a happy story. It is, at best, bittersweet. Well-written and beautiful, to be sure (though the repeated comparison between infant hands and stars/starfish grew a bit tiresome), but kind of a downer over all.
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As far as I know, this book ended up on the OBCZ shelf.
