The Memory Keeper's Daughter

by: Kim Edwards

Published by: Penguin Books

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

Every year I seem to find a novel that defies adequate description; one where the prose is lyrical, the plot is scintillating and after it has been read, you can't shake it from your heart and mind. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards is just such a novel. It is my favorite read in 2006.

New to Lexington, Kentucky in 1964, Dr. David Henry is an orthopedic surgeon and single man. While shopping he sees a young woman, Norah, who catches his eye. He follows her, stumbles and bumbles his way into a conversation that results, three months later, into a loving marriage. A year later, David and Norah are awaiting the birth of their first child.

Norah goes into labor during a rare Kentucky snowstorm. The couple is unable to make it to the hospital in time for the birth so a call is made to a colleague and nurse to meet them at the clinic. The nurse arrives but the doctor's car lands in a snow bank. David and his nurse, Caroline must deliver the baby themselves.

Shortly after David and Norah's son is born, it is evident that she is carrying twins. Norah is sedated during the birth of her daughter who has Down's syndrome. In a split-second decision, David asks Caroline to take the baby to an institution and tells Norah the baby died.

Caroline is unable to leave the child Norah named Phoebe at the uninviting institution and she too makes a split-second decision. She disappears with the baby and travels to another town where she raises Phoebe as her own.

The lives of all the characters are intertwined from beginning to the end as Edwards fills in the blanks of the lives of David, Norah, Phoebe, Caroline and the children.

This is a story of family secrets, where lives are changed in an instant and impact everything else, forever. It is also a story of love, sacrifice, compassion and forgiveness and Edwards tells it with a gentle and understanding hand.

Armchair Interviews says: If you want an exceptional read, The Memory Keeper's Daughter will keep you turning the pages while your heart grieves one minute and sings the next.