The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
"She walked from room to room, still drunk but charged with purpose, framing windows, light fixtures, the swirling grain of the floor. It seemed vitally important that she record every detail. At one point, in the living room, a spent and blistered bulb slipped from her hand and shattered; when she stepped back, glass pierced her heel. She studied her stocking feet for a moment, amused and impressed by her degree of drunkenness - she must have left her wet shoes by the front door, out of old habit. She wandered through the house twice more, documenting light switches, windows, the pipe where gas had once come up to the second floor. It was only on her way downstairs that she realized her foot was bleeding, leaving a splotchy trail: grim hearts, bloody little valentines. Norah was shocked and also strangely thrilled at the damage she had managed to inflict."
Dr. David Henry is forced to make the snap decision to deliver his own twins when a freak storm has delayed the doctor scheduled to do so. His first born, a son, is perfectly healthy. The second, a daughter, he realizes has Down Syndrome. At that time (1964) Down Syndrome was much more taboo than it is now, and he did what he felt was best for both him, his wife, and his daugther: he told the nurse, Caroline Gill, to bring her to an institution where she can be properly cared for.
However, when Caroline arrives at the institution she was told to leave the baby girl at she realizes how horrible life would be for the little girl. So instead, she escapes to another city with the little girl in tow, who she names Phoebe, and creates a whole new life for the two of them.
The book spans over 25 years (from 1964 to 1989), and while Edwards would sometimes skip over four or more years, it was still a wonderfully written book. Though I did sometimes wonder, 'What happened from when they were 18 to when they were 24, that the author decided not to document?'. I felt safe in Edwards hands & words, and trusted that whatever years she had skipped over, she felt weren't important to the progress of the story.
One thing that I loved about the story and how Edwards executed it was that I felt that exact emotions the characters were feeling. Norah's over-protective panic over her son and her despair for her daughter, Paul's longing to know his parents secret but not let them in on his own, Caroline's longing for her daughter to be happy, David's neutral emotions towards his daughter that he gave away and then his regret, and Phoebe. Phoebe's happiness and confusion all at the same time.
I was definitely disappointed with how I found out about David's death. Heart attack during his daily jog. You weren't eased into it. It was basically just thrown in your face. I reread that sentence three times to make sure I wasn't mistaken. I wasn't.
Also, the ending is a little idealistic. But ... it was still a really wonderful read.
Dr. David Henry is forced to make the snap decision to deliver his own twins when a freak storm has delayed the doctor scheduled to do so. His first born, a son, is perfectly healthy. The second, a daughter, he realizes has Down Syndrome. At that time (1964) Down Syndrome was much more taboo than it is now, and he did what he felt was best for both him, his wife, and his daugther: he told the nurse, Caroline Gill, to bring her to an institution where she can be properly cared for.
However, when Caroline arrives at the institution she was told to leave the baby girl at she realizes how horrible life would be for the little girl. So instead, she escapes to another city with the little girl in tow, who she names Phoebe, and creates a whole new life for the two of them.
The book spans over 25 years (from 1964 to 1989), and while Edwards would sometimes skip over four or more years, it was still a wonderfully written book. Though I did sometimes wonder, 'What happened from when they were 18 to when they were 24, that the author decided not to document?'. I felt safe in Edwards hands & words, and trusted that whatever years she had skipped over, she felt weren't important to the progress of the story.
One thing that I loved about the story and how Edwards executed it was that I felt that exact emotions the characters were feeling. Norah's over-protective panic over her son and her despair for her daughter, Paul's longing to know his parents secret but not let them in on his own, Caroline's longing for her daughter to be happy, David's neutral emotions towards his daughter that he gave away and then his regret, and Phoebe. Phoebe's happiness and confusion all at the same time.
I was definitely disappointed with how I found out about David's death. Heart attack during his daily jog. You weren't eased into it. It was basically just thrown in your face. I reread that sentence three times to make sure I wasn't mistaken. I wasn't.
Also, the ending is a little idealistic. But ... it was still a really wonderful read.