The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards

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Little John
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The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards

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Another book about a daughter. This one starts in 1964. In the middle of a serious snow storm, a doctor drives his pregnant wife to his clinic where she gives birth to twins; one healthy boy and a girl with Downs Syndrome.

In an attempt to save his wife from years of worry and heartache, he gives the girl to the nurse and asks her to take it to an institution; telling his wife that there had been twins but that the girl had died.

The nurse takes the baby through the blizzard to the institution but she cant bring herself to leave the baby there and resolves to take care of it herself and so the real story begins.

From then on, the book plots the lives and relationships of all those involved and how they are all affected by this spontaneous decision - so common back then.

I found the style a little stiff. Not a lot of humour - but then the story didn't really lend itself to humour. Quite descriptive albeit in an old-fashioned sort of way and the characters were well developed - although I did find Paul a little immature even at the end when he had turned into a man.

Although the story is sad, its not necessarily sad for the reasons you might assume. Not a bad book, worth a read.
Yes this is the real "Little John" (or it could be "colin")
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