The Memory Keeper's Daughter
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| The Memory Keeper's Daughter | |
| Author | Kim Edwards |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Design by Greg Mollica; Photography of dress: Liz Magic Laser; Snow: Roy Mehta/Getty Images |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Doubleday Dell Publishing Group |
| Publication date | 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 401 p. (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-14-303714-5 (paperback edition) |
The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a New York Times Bestseller[1] by American author Kim Edwards. Published by Viking Press in June 2005, the novel gained widespread attention during the summer of 2006 after it garnered great success via word of mouth.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
In 1964 during an unusual Kentucky blizzard David Henry is forced to deliver his own baby. Paul is born a perfect little boy, but soon Phoebe is born. Immediately, David notices she is a mongoloid (a name given at the time for people with Down syndrome). David, knowing how it destroyed his mother's life when his sister (who had heart disease) died of a hole in her heart, decides that Phoebe will be taken into an institution. After seeing the institution, Caroline, the nurse who has been in love with David since meeting him, decides to keep the baby. While Caroline is at the store her car runs out of gas and is stranded with the baby. She is then picked up by a truck driver, whom she later marries. Meanwhile, David's kind but passive wife Norah is plagued by post-natal depression after Dr. Henry lies to her and tells her Phoebe died at birth.
There is a 7 year time skip, and Phoebe and Paul are both kids. Unlike the prediction David made at birth, Phoebe is very healthy and is coming along fine. Paul is also doing very well, except for an accident where he breaks his arm. Caroline is fighting in court for Phoebe's right to go to school however it is to no avail. David now is an aspiring photographer with his own dark room, where he keeps pictures and letter from Caroline about Phoebe hidden.
There is another time skip and Phoebe and Paul are now both 14. Phoebe is learning how to weave and Paul is trying to become a musician. While on vacation Norah meets a man whom she soon begins to cheat on David with. David does not agree with Paul’s dream to become a musician, which enrages Paul.
Phoebe and Paul are now both 18. Paul is becoming a successful musician and Phoebe has learned how weave. While holding an art show in Pittsburgh (where Phoebe lives), David is confronted by Caroline who refuses to give back Phoebe. In the TV movie version, but not the novel, David soon begins following Phoebe. When he picks up her scrunchy and calls her name, Phoebe quickly runs away. While David is still away, Paul finds out that his mother is cheating on his dad and runs away. David quickly rushes home from Pittsburgh only to find that Paul is in jail. When David and Norah go to get Paul, the young man makes his mother go away and on the ride home tells his dad she’s cheating on him.
After the final time skip, Paul and Phoebe are now grown and are both doing very well. Paul's career as a musician has taken off very well and Phoebe has a boyfriend. Caroline takes Phoebe to one of Paul's shows. Norah and David are now divorced and she is moving to France. While fixing a leak in the sink David dies of an aneurysm. Norah and Paul met Phoebe in the end.
[edit] Adaptation
A made-for-television movie premiered on April 12, 2008, on Lifetime. The cast included Dermot Mulroney as David, Gretchen Mol as Norah, and Emily Watson as Caroline. The adolescent and adult Phoebe is played by Krystal Hope Nausbaum, an actress with Down syndrome.[2] The movie was watched by 5,822,000 million viewers & received a 4.0 rating. The movie was also the most watched show on cable for the week of April 7-April 13 2008.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ As of November 26, 2006, the book had spent 21 weeks on the New York Times Paperback Bestsellers list. "New York Times Paperback Fiction Bestsellers" nytimes.com. URL Accessed November 28, 2006.
- ^ Matthew Gilbert. ""Secrets and sympathy make for a compelling 'Daughter'"", The Boston Globe, April 12, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-04-13.
