Review by Shayla Walker

I just recently read The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. This book is honestly unlike any other book I’ve ever read. It caused me to think about and reflect on life from mine and other peoples’ perspectives. I think that everyone should read this book at least once in their life.

I personally like the author’s writing style. I liked how much the author used symbolism to help the reader really get the right mood for the plot. For example, throughout the story the author constantly refers back to snow to symbolize loneliness. I also thought this was interesting because in school we have been talking about how to use symbolism to develop the plot of a story and I think The Memory Keeper’s Daughter did an excellent job at this.

In the book, Nora and David are about to have a child. Due to the snow blizzard, David is forced to deliver his own son when they arrive at the hospital. To his surprise, David finds out that Nora is actually pregnant with twins. This book took place in the 1960s, so when Nora gave birth the nurse used gas to knock her out. David quickly discovers that the second twin is a girl who has down syndrome. He makes the decision to give the baby to the nurse and asks her to take the baby to a home, which was common in the 1960s. When Nora wakes up, David tells her that they had a daughter but she was born dead. David made the decision to give up their daughter all on his own. This decision is going to affect them for the rest of their lives, either for the best or the worst. Read The Memory Keeper’s Daughter to find out!