Delicate Changes within the Psyche

Stories are good; they can heal, they may offer quiet moments of reflection, they eventually have the power to change us. I just finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards. The power in this book is found in the momentum that is built through fluid writing, breathtaking imagery, and the thread of humanness that is embroidered throughout this novel. I love books that allow me to escape my life; romantic love affairs that take my breath away, intense thrillers that force me to be more aware of my surroundings. The Memory Keeper's Daughter offers a bit of escapism, but not much. It is not a romance, nor a thriller, it is not an epic story of insurmountable courage. It is a story of what it means to be human. It is as real as a novel can be. Edwards, an accomplished short story writer, taps into the darkest parts of the soul and fractures it into an explosion of secrecy, redemption, understanding and compassion. A man, a decent man who happens to be a doctor, is forced to deliver his own child. Unaware that his wife is about to give birth to twins he delivers a healthy baby boy and hands him over to the nurse. While this man is comforting his wife he realizes that there is another child about to be born. He delivers his daughter, she is born with Down syndrome. At that moment he makes a decision to have the nurse take the baby girl to an institution. He will tell his wife that she gave birth to twins but that her daughter died. This man will go on to live with this secret. A mother will raise one child and mourn the death of a daughter she never got to see. A nurse, a woman, will have the opportunity to change her life and the life of a little girl. A boy will grow up beside the shadow of his "dead" twin sister. The story is told from the perspective of these four people.

When I am reading a book I am constantly trying to decipher and predict what will happen within the walls of these tightly woven stories. I cannot remember the last time that I became so caught up in the lives of the characters that I didn't see what was coming next. I got blindsided a couple times through the course of these chapters. I was not left untouched nor with dry eyes. This is a poignant story. It is a story about secrets, and everyone has secrets, that is what makes this book so powerful. Edwards' words invoke a new level of awareness which I will now carry with me. I am changed, with all the intricacy and ease that a string of words can bring about. I will take care to tread lightly in matters that may appear trivial and yet may have deep roots. There are stories out there that remind me why I read, this is one of those such stories. I am changed; delicately but deeply.