The Memory Keeper's Daughter

It's been some time since I wrote and you didn't respond, so like Cinderella dreaming of the ball or Snow White waiting for that kiss, I will continue to put my thoughts out there and hope sometime, somewhere that special reader will follow the hero's path and post a reply. Our September discussion flowed easily around the moral issues posed in The Memory Keeper's Daughter. Much of the group saw Caroline as a heroine, saving Phoebe from a father fighting the demons of his past and insisting that his wife Norah would be unable to cope with a Downs child. A counterpoint to this selfless portrayal of Caroline examines her moral obligation to tell Norah the secret, the earlier the better. Taking this action was mitigated by her own infatuation with David and her early bonding and genuine mother love toward Phoebe. While many members felt compassion for David, the general consensus was that he did no one, himself included, any favors by his split second decision. We talked about his craft as a photographer and the ability of the camera to freeze a moment, but also keep you from the present. In the same way David allowed Phoebe and his past from having the satisfying life he should be enjoying. We speculated about whether Nora would have been able to handle the truth. Would she have become an over-clingy, over-protective mother or would she have been at a loss to cope at all? Although she evolved into a strong woman, she didn't begin her marriage that way, and eventually turned to casual affairs, obsessive busyness and alcohol to dull her pain. In examining the scope and distance of her grief over her lost daughter, some members felt depression might explain the way she kept her pain alive. Others were surprised that when the secret was revealed she wasn't interested in more of a relationship with Phoebe. Although this selection was a little longer than or normal page limit, most members seemed to make it through the book and enjoy analyzing these characters. An interesting discussion of when and if you should ever keep family secrets was sparked by our discussion with some members coming strongly down on telling the truth no matter what and others advocating a need to know basis for decisions. The Memory Keeper's Daughter was the featured selection on NPR's "Reader's Review" program with Diane Rehm. Here is a link to that program. You can listen to their discussion of the book by clicking on "listen to this segment" link. http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/06/08/16.php#10663