The Memory Keeper's Daughter
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| Author | Kim Edwards |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher |
Viking Press (2005) Penguin Books Doubleday Dell Publishing Group |
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Publication date
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2005 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 401 p. (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | (paperback edition) |
| OCLC | 69010346 |
The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a novel by American author Kim Edwards that tells the story of a man who gives away his newborn daughter, who has Down syndrome, to one of the nurses. Published by Viking Press in June 2005, the novel garnered great interest via word of mouth in the summer of 2006 and placed on the New York Times Paperback Bestsellers List. The novel was adapted to television film and broadcast on Lifetime Television in April 2008.
In 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced to deliver his wife Norah's twins with the help of a nurse, Caroline Gill. Their first child, a boy they name Paul, is born a healthy perfect child, but when the second baby is born, David notices she has Down's syndrome. David, recalling the possibility of a heart defect and early death and decides that the baby girl will be placed in an institution.
Caroline was given the baby to take to the institution, but simply didn't like the conditions. She decides to keep and raise the baby, who is named, Phoebe. While Caroline is at the store, her car runs out of fuel and she is stranded in the snow with Phoebe. She is picked up by a truck driver, Al Simpson, who drives them to Caroline's home. Meanwhile, David tells Norah that their daughter died at birth. After hearing that Caroline had kept Phoebe rather than take her to the institution, David bids her to do what she thinks is right. Caroline leaves for Pittsburgh to make a fresh start with Phoebe.
The "death" of their daughter has caused a rift in David and Norah's marriage. They move to a new home but continue to find it difficult to romantically connect. Meanwhile, Caroline begins working for Dorothy "Doro" March as a private nurse for her father, Leo. Caroline claims that Phoebe is her daughter and tells a half-true story of running away from Phoebe's father because he wanted to institutionalize Phoebe.
Caroline sends letters and pictures of Phoebe to David. David sends money to Caroline and makes a half-hearted attempt to find out where Caroline and Phoebe live. Meanwhile, Al, the truck driver who assisted Caroline on the night of Phoebe's birth, discovers her whereabouts. He and Caroline begin regular visits, and romance begins to bloom between them.
Six years later, the distance between the Henrys has increased. David is now an aspiring photographer with his own darkroom, where he keeps Phoebe's pictures and Caroline's letters locked away. He immerses himself in his work. Norah drinks secretly and becomes overprotective of Paul.
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