In Kim Edwards' debut novel, "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," Edwards tells a story of a doctor who makes a selfish and ill-minded decision on a cold night in 1964. Unfortunately, the doctor doesn't anticipate his decision will leave lasting wounds on everyone around him.
Just after a blizzard on a winter night in Lexington, Ky., Dr. David Henry delivers his own twins in his orthopedic practice clinic and in an instant; makes a decision which will affect everyone present for the rest of their lives.
Upon the delivery of the infants, Dr. Henry finds one of his babies has Down's syndrome and without his wife's knowledge, hands the impaired infant to the attending nurse and quietly tells her to take the child away and admit her to an institution. Dr. Henry continues to tell his wife she gave birth to a beautiful son and the baby girl was stillborn. Because of Dr. Henry's lie and emotionally charged decision, his family and friends must live with his lie in this compelling and compassionate story.
The attending nurse, Caroline, brings the baby girl to the institution as instructed, but once they arrive she refuses the doctor's instruction, returns home with the baby, raises the girl as her own daughter and never contacts Dr. Henry again. We learn early in the novel that Norah Henry planned to name her daughter Phoebe, and Caroline honors Norah's wishes and keeps the name for the girl.
Throughout the story, we grieve with Norah for the loss of her baby girl and witness her son Paul's childhood. As time goes by and David's lie becomes deeply embedded in their lives, we experience firsthand the deterioration of their marriage and feel the anguish and resentment Norah starts to feel toward her husband. Try as we may, we resist pity for the empty longing David feels for a relationship with his son, his own flesh who has become foreign.
The book is not only heart-wrenching and riveting, but it is also a story of courage and humanism. During the era when the story takes place, Down's syndrome is not a socially accepted condition and Caroline exudes strength and nobility for fighting for Phoebe's education, social treatment and sense of self and family. Throughout Phoebe's childhood, Caroline experiences many mixed feelings about contacting David and we deliberate with Caroline for the best decision for her and Phoebe.
This book is a great insight into the workings of a seemingly ordinary American family, the ups and downs the family experiences and the private struggles of relationships and life. The author also explores the corners of regret and self-resentment and teaches a moral lesson on the importance of crucial decisions and consequence.
I would have given the book five stars, however, the character development doesn't quite warrant such esteemed praise and the story was slow at times. During the slow times of the book, I also noticed an unusual pattern of absurd cliches. Although we learn great amounts about the lives of the characters in the novel, I didn't really feel a connection with them or that I knew enough about them to make the reading a full-fledged emotional experience.
'The Memory Keeper's Daughter'
4 out of 5 pitchforks
Author: Kim Edwards
Publisher: Penguin
Price: $14.00
Reach the reporter at Jessica.Douglass@asu.edu.
