The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Review of The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Every budding writer has visions of the impact of their first novel. Often these visions of glory are unfounded, but in Kim Edwards' case, her first novel was a writer's dream come true. Her portrayal of a family torn apart by secrets and memories resonates. I found myself unable to put this book down once I started reading it.
Edwards pulls you in and wraps you up in her characters and their lives. You find yourself wincing in pain at the lies and betrayal and your heart unfolds in the small triumphs and beautiful moments of these vivid characters. The Memory Keeper's Daughter paints portraits in words of each character that makes them seem so real, so alive that you find yourself muttering words of advice to them throughout the book.
Especially moving is Edwards' unflinching portrayal of Downs' syndrome. The enchanting Phoebe lives a full and loved life with Down's, and Edwards shows readers that Down's doesn't have to be a death sentence without having to preach. Through Phoebe and Caroline, we see how perserverence and love can overcome all obstacles and allow for a normal, happy life.
Illustrating the flip side of the coin, the damage that secrets, lies and betrayal can do to a family, is Phoebe's biological father, Dr. David Henry. His deceptions and withdrawal scar his wife, Norah and his son Paul (Phoebe's healthy twin) and eventually tear his family apart. Each rip in the fabric of love that once bound the family feels like a burn on the reader's skin.
The dislocation of Norah, a mother ripped from one child and too wrapped up in the life of the other, is heartrending. We watch her struggle with addictions, from alcohol to sex to work, constantly filling the hole left by a daughter she never got to know. Eventually, Norah finds love again, but the journey is long and full of loss.
Dr. Henry becomes a hard, distant man. He is the only one in his immediate family who knows the truth behind the great lie he told, and he spends his years trying to capture on film the family he lost in real life. He sends money to Caroline for Phoebe, to still his own guilt and fear about the past. He constantly adds secrets and lies to the one big betrayal. Norah doesn't know what keeps him away emotionally, but his compounding secrets eventually cause her to leave him.
Paul, once a happy child unaware of the great conflict between his parents, is hurt by the eventual discovery of one of their lies - his mother's affairs. This creates another landslide of despair in this tormented family. Eventually, Paul finds a way to forgive his mother her pain, but is never to reconcile with his father.
Throughout the novel, we are allowed glimpses into Caroline and Phoebe's bravery and love. Their true love for each other, respect for each other and crusade for the rights of other Down's children gives the novel lightness in the midst of the Henry family turmoil. Phoebe has unconditional love in the form of Caroline, the nurse who kept her as her own, all because she couldn't condemn her for her father's short sightedness; and Al, the long distance trucker who loves them both without fail.
The one thing that sets this novel apart from others in its genre is Edwards' refusal to give in to sap and pablum. She looks relationships and struggles in the eye without flinching or glossing over the hard parts. Her novel is miles above the rest because of that. This book is highly recommended.
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Memory Keepers Daughter Book cover
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