The Memory Keeper’s Daughter – Kim Edwards

My Mother in Law, S, lent me her copy of Kim Edwards' The Memory Keeper's Daughter a few weeks back, having read it herself as part of her local book group. I wasn't at all sure what to expect, but just reading the back cover made me want to start reading it immediately.

In 1964, Dr David Henry is required to deliver his wife's twins on a snowy winter evening. Paul is born first, followed by Pheobe. Paul is a "normal", healthy boy, yet Pheobe is born with Down's syndrome. Being the first to set eyes on his daughter David makes a decision that will change the rest of their lives. He tells his wife Norah that their daughter died at birth. He hands his new born daughter to nurse Caroline Gill and asks her to take Pheobe to a local institution. Caroline can't hand her over though and instead runs away to raise Pheobe as her own.

The book follows al their lives over more than a twenty year period and examines how David's decision that night has changed things. It's a beautifully written story that makes the reader realise how much attitudes towards Down's syndrome have changed over the years.