Publications
Partners
The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a poignant and moving read about how the choices we make affect us and in turn our loved ones.
The story begins in 1964 on a cold wintry night. David Henry, a doctor, is in charge as his young wife delivers their first baby, with his office nurse providing the only assistance due to an unusual Kentucky blizzard. His first-born is a boy, a perfect little boy. Then, shockingly, the blessing doubles: there's another baby, a girl. Before the father can even rejoice, however, he realises that it isn't a moment of joy, but one of tragedy. The girl has Down's Syndrome.
Because it's 1964, it's impossible to have hope. Henry believes she's doomed; her future offers nothing but grief for their family. So he does what he sees as the only thing he can, the logical and compassionate thing: he asks the nurse to take the baby away to an institution and he tells his wife that the little girl died.
From that moment forward, two families begin their new, and separate, lives. Caroline, the nurse, takes the newborn girl to the institution but cannot bear to leave her there. Thirty-one, unmarried, and secretly in love with David, Caroline has been always been a dreamer, waiting for her real life to begin. Now, when she makes her own split-second decision to keep and raise Phoebe as her own, she feels as if her real life finally has begun.
So the twins begin their lives, separated at birth. So also begins a quarter century secret. Phoebe is raised lovingly by Caroline, who must struggle against societal prejudices in order to give Phoebe the same opportunities as other children. Paul grows up in a household filled with unexplained tension, ever touched by the shadow of the sister he never knew as his parents grow more and more distant from each other, both haunted by their lost daughter.
David, tormented by his secret, looks for solace through the lens of his camera, the Memory Keeper, trying to make sense of his life and choices through the images he captures.
A beautifully crafted story. Keep the tissues handy!
Have you read this book already? Tell us what you thought in the comment box below.
