The Memory Keeper's Daugher by Kim Edward

[Kell]

Anyone who would like to get hold of a copy of this book and join in the circle - there are a few copies available at Green Metropolis (http://www.greenmetropolis.com/search.asp?book_title=memory+keeper%27s+daughter&author_name=&author_first_name=&ISBN=&categories=&Format=All&scope=InStock&Results=1&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=search)

Also available at Amazon. See link on site front page (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/../index.php)!

The Reading Circle choice for August is The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards:
Kim Edwards's stunning family drama evokes the spirit of Sue Miller and Alice Sebold, articulating every mother's silent fear: what would happen if you lost your child and she grew up without you? In 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins, he immediately recognizes that one of them has Down Syndrome and makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and to keep her birth a secret. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own. Compulsively readable and deeply moving, The Memory Keeper's Daughter is an astonishing tale of redemptive love.

Some questions to consider:
1- Who was your favourite character and why?
2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?
3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

(You do not have to answer all, or indeed, any, of these questions, they are meant only as points for you to perhaps mull over as you read, and provoke more discussion. Please feel free to ask and answer any questions that come up as you read.)

Also see reading guide questions (attached) from Penguin Reading Guides

WARNING: You may wish to wait until you have finished reading the book before you look at the attachment - it may contain slight spoilers as it offers discussion points.

[Kylie]

I'm about a quarter of the way through at the moment (it's 1965), and I'm enjoying the story. I quite like Caroline, but am undecided about Norah.

[Kell]

I enjoyed this one rather a lot when I read it last summer.

My review of it is HERE (http://undermindbooks.blogspot.com/2007/08/memory-keepers-daughter-by-kim-edwards.html).

[Inver]

I really must borrow this one from my sis. She really enjoyed it too.

[Kell]

This book certainly asks a lot of questions about how people perceive and cope with disabilities. In this day and age, most pregnant women routinely undergo tests to see what kind of likelihood there is of their child having certain disapbilities such as Downs Syndrome and Spina Bifida, and they're done at a point where it is still legal to abort the foetus. Some people decide ahead of time that if their child has a high likelihood of having a disability, they will not be having that child, but it must be such a difficult decision to make.

I was very lucky in that all our tests showed we were incredibly low-risk, but I do wonder what would have happened if we'd been told Tadpole would most likely have Downs Syndrome or Spina Bifida. I've actually done some work in the past with adults who had various difficulties, from learning difficulties to Downs Syndrome to being wheelchair-bound for various reasons, as part of a theatre copany in Edinburgh. It was very rewarding and some of the adults and young adults who were involved in Lung Ha (the theatre company) were completely inspirational.

It takes a lot of stregth and courage to devote all your energy to making the best life possible for someone with difficulties, and as a parent, it must be even more difficult to see your child struggle with the smallest thing.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a brave book in itself - it shows two completely different levels of acceptance and how acceptance can come too late for a difference to be made. On the one hand, you have someone lying to cover their own tracks when they feel that they and their wife will be unable to cope with the problems of raising a Downs child - completely taking away the choice of his wife and denying his son the chance to grow up knowing his twin sister. On the other hand, you have someone who loves this child unconditionally, despite the fact that there is absolutely no blood tie - she willingly takes on the role of supportive mother and does everything in her power to make life wonderful for this child, putting her first in every area of her life and encouraging her in everything she does.

It's a book that really makes you think and wonder what you'd do in a similar position, which can be a slightly uncomfortable feeling when you really think about it, as it forces us to look at ourselves and realy evaluate what kind of person we are - we might not always like the answer we get!

[Kylie]

:I-Agree:

Excellent post, Kell :mrgreen: