The Memory Keeper’s Daughter: Pg. 1-73

Reading time: 2 – 3 minutes

WARNING: Do not read this entry if you have not read up to page 73, yet as there may contain spoilers!

I have to keep reminding myself that this book takes place in the 60′s, when people were less accepting of physical deformities or chromosome disorders.  Initially I liked #4 The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” href=”http://wellreadreviews.com/review-4-the-memory-keepers-daughter”>Dr. Henry for he seemed romantic and loving to his young woman-bride, Norah. Meanwhile he takes one look at his newborn daughter, Phoebe – and immediately wisks her away to send off to some horrible institution. He never even told his wife about her until after the fact. (How a woman cannot know she gave birth to twins instead of just one – I don’t really understand). He lies to his wife, with shame, and sends off his daughter “the child”.

Caroline his nurse (who has been secretly in love with him for years) decides against giving the baby to the institution and keeps the baby for herself.  I can’t decide if I think she is doing this for the baby, for herself, or for her love for Dr. Henry.  (Maybe a bit of all three?) What bothers me the post about the whole situation is that he lied to his wife. Norah is mourning the loss of her newborn (that she never had the chance to see or touch) and the whole time, the baby is healthy – in the care of someone else.

If my husband would have done this to me, it would had been an unforgivable matter.  He insists that he is doing this because Norah would be heartbroken at knowing that her daughter was born with Down’s Syndrome – but isn’t he giving her heartbreak anyway? What if she would have embraced her daughter, anyway? As of now, we’ll never know. In my opinion, Dr. Henry behaved in what is only considered a selfish reason. He was ashamed of his daughter.

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