Turn the Page...Tuesday

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

by Kim Edwards

This one kept me turning the pages late into the night! Not only was the story intriguing, it was written beautifully as well. One cold winter night, snow falling heavily, Dr. David Henry's wife, Norah, goes into labor. He calls his partner and their nurse and asks them to meet him at the clinic before they head in to the hospital. The roads are slick and when David and Norah arrive at the clinic, he finds that his partner, Dr. Bentley, has slid into a ditch and won't be able to make it. Norah's labor has progressed and there is no time to get to the hospital so David and his nurse Caroline Gill deliver the baby. A healthy boy is born, then much to David's surprise another baby is on the way. When a tiny twin girl with Down Syndrome is born into the world, David is shocked. The year is 1964 and not much is known about Down Syndrome except that the life span of these babies is short. Thinking back to the grief of losing his own sister as a young girl, David makes a split decision and hands the little girl to Caroline, asking her to take the baby to an institution. When Norah awakes, she is told that their baby girl has died. In the days to follow, Norah's grief for the lost baby is immense and, without consulting David, she plans a memorial service and Caroline has disappeared with the baby. David is already regretting his impulse and wants to tell Norah the truth but feels that events are spiraling out of control and that it is too late to reveal his dark secret. As the years go on, the ripples this family secret create effect every aspect of their lives.

All of these characters were very likeable and I had empathy for each and every one of them. David was not at all an evil man, but had given in to his own grief over the loss of his sister and wanted to spare his wife the terrible pain he thought a Down Syndrome baby would cause his family. A split second decision haunted his entire life. Norah greatly grieved the loss of the tiny daughter she never even got to see. Caroline could not leave that sweet baby girl in that terrible place, so disappeared into another city to raise her as her own. So easy to see how a terrible moment like this could result in all the struggles and grief in all of their lives.   I recommend this read.

I really enjoyed the movie as well.  Done quite well and follows the book nicely with a few variations from the novel.

Pop on over to Adrienne's Turn the Page Tuesday to see what others have read this month!