This stunning novel begins on a winter night in 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognizes that his daughter has Down syndrome. For motives he tells himself are good, he makes a split-second decision that will haunt all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby away to an institution. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own. Compulsively readable and deeply moving, The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a brilliantly crafted story of parallel lives, familial secrets, and the redemptive power of love.
Editorial Reviews
“Edwards is a born novelist....The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is rich with psychological detail and the nuances of human connection. [An] extraordinary debut.” –Chicago Tribune
“Anyone would be struck by the extraordinary power and sympathy of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.” –The Washington Post
“Absolutely mesmerizing.” –Sue Monk Kidd
“Kim Edwards has created a tale of regret and redemption... you have to reread the passages just to be captivated all over again...simply a beautiful book.” –Jodi Picoult
“Kim Edwards writes with great wisdom and compassion.... This is a wonderful, heartbreaking, heart-healing novel.” –Luanne Rice
“A heart-wrenching book, by turns light and dark, literary and suspenseful.” –Library Journal
“A gripping novel, beautifully written.” –Ursula Hegi
About the Author
Kim Edwards is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, which was translated into thirty-eight languages. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Lake of Dreams, and a collection of short stories, The Secrets of a Fire King. Her honors include the Whiting Award, the British Book Award, and USA Today’s Book of the Year, as well as the Nelson Algren Award, a National Magazine Award, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she has taught widely in the US and Asia, and currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
