In The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, a father who is a doctor struggles to find a way to move on from his painful past, and a mother who is a nurse struggles to make the best decisions for her uncertain future. Dr. David Henry had to deliver his own babies during a heavy blizzard and discovers that, while his son seems perfect in every way, his daughter has Down’s Syndrome. In an impulsive decision, he tells his nurse, Caroline Gill, not to tell his wife about his daughter and to take the baby away to an institution. Appalled and surprised by his decision, she decides to run away and raise the baby as her own, without Dr. Henry’s knowledge. Both struggle to find out if they made the right decisions on that stormy night.
Kim Edwards writes well in The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. Getting rid of the awkward years, she included and concentrated on key points in the characters’ lives. She never forgets anyone and thoroughly acknowledges that each person is connected to the other and always makes an impact on the other characters. One moment she writes about Dr. David Henry’s thoughts and what is happening in his life, and the next she writes about his wife, Norah, or his son, Paul, and how each grapples in a family and in a world that struggles to give them the answers. The book and story never becomes dragging, and readers quickly turn the page, always anticipating what will happen next. In The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, Edwards also was able to develop her characters naturally. It’s quite refreshing to see them be able to try and move on gradually from the pain in their lives.
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards is a good read, recommended for everyone, and readers don’t have to worry about shedding a tear or two. There are sad moments, but it never becomes a sad story. It’s not a story full of happiness but a story full of reality. Read it when you’ve got the time.
