Date Posted:16:20:17 06/02/07 Sat Author: Syl Subject: The Memory Keeper's Daughter
This one was sent in by Lady Belle. Thanks, lass! I've seen this book a lot lately in the shops. I need to buy it!
TITLE: The Memory Keeper's Daughter
AUTHOR: Kim Edwards
GENRE: Fiction
This novel was suggested to me by my friend who is a child psychologist. I picked it up at the bookstore and could not put it down until I finished it. It is a wonderfully written tale about family, parenthood, childhood and siblings. It also shows us what a lie can do to the lives of everyone around us.
Dr. David Henry has many secrets. He hides behind his work as a doctor. He hides his background from his family. And most importantly, he hides the birth of his Down's Syndrome daughter from her twin brother and his wife. Each of these lies affects everyone around him.
The nurse who helped deliver the twins, Caroline, takes the little girl away, supposedly to an institution. Instead, she raises Phoebe as her own and becomes her strongest advocate.
The story begins on a snowy night in 1964 when the twins are born, and takes us on a journey of "parallel lives, familial secrets, and the redemptive power of love."
I also could not put this book down. Very poignant - I think most will identify with the phenomena of making a decision in a split moment of time, then living with the consequence forever, in all its beauty, joy & sorrow. Recommended!
Judie, 21:10:42 06/07/07 Thu