The Memory Keeper's Daughter

By Kim Edwards

I've just come back from a short trip to Prague, and on my way there I picked up this book at the airport. The Memory Keeper's Daughter is one of the few books that has illicited such an emotional response from me in a long time. In between the site seeing, shopping and more site seeing - I just couldn't put the book down!

In a nutshell, the novel explores the consequences of a man's decision to give away one of his twins at birth - she is born with Downs Syndrome*. He entrusts her to the care of a nurse and tells his wife that the baby died. As the novel unfolds, so do the lives of those connected to this single split decision, made with the intention of sparing loved ones pain and anguish.

Edwards weaves a complex web of lives that are entwined and yet separated in so many ways. There are numerous parallels between the characters which really helps to explain decisions made and types of behaviour. We are after all moulded by our history and shaped by those people who touch our lives in profound ways.

What I found most fascinating about this novel was Edwards' exploration of relationships (with husbands, wives, children, parents, siblings, lovers, strangers, friends, acquaintances...). She exposed the tragic truths about many relationships - the distance we can put between ourselves and others, both emotionally and physically, and the consequences of these actions (whether subconscious or not) to those around us. At times it was just heart-wrenching to read. Edwards strips away the niceties and gives us a stark portrayal of this, particularly in the relationship between David and Norah. Although it's fiction, these realities can be seen all around us.

Did anyone else notice the daffodil motif laced throughout the novel? Throughout several key moments they're mentioned, used as a tool to draw characters together, overlapping them just as their lives do. I'm not quite sure what the daffodis are meant to represent, a false sense of security? Happiness? Contentment? Longing?

Although I loved this book, it's not a particularly happy one. There's no resolve, much like life. The painful longing felt by each character is tangible. But it's not all grim - those broken relationships are set against many touching moments and loving relationships. Even though the novel concludes with no conclusion in particular, I definitely felt a glimmer of hope - but I'm sure there are many people who felt otherwise.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter is thought-provoking and intriguing, a brilliant read, beautifully written by Kim Edwards. I think Literary Feline sums it up perfectly:

"I could see the bad decisions before they were made, felt the disappointment and loss, and shared in the hope or improvement and change: Norah in her grief, Paul in his need for approval, Caroline in her struggle to do what is right, Phoebe for her innocence, and even David, with his guilt and heavy burden of maintaining a secret heavier than he could bear...Kim Edwards carefully spins her tale, dropping a stone in the pond and following the ripples to where ever they lead."

Click here to read an extract from The Memory Keeper's Daughter.

*I read in the London Lite (ah yes, the trusty London Lite I hear you say) today that it was revealed that Arthur Miller had a son born with Downs Syndrome, whom he gave away a week after he was born. Miller never spoke of him and only got in touch with shortly before he died. Life is art and art is life.