August 5, 2007

  • The premise of this book was interesting to me but I can't say that the author held my attention very well.  I think you can easily tell that I didn't enjoy a particular book when there is too much time lag between postings.  That means that the book is boring me and I don't need to read it obsessively.  The Memory Keeper is a father who takes photos as a hobby, hence 'memory keeper'.  He sends his daughter away right after child birth because she was born with Down's syndrome (not a spoiler, you find this out in the first few pages).  This is rural Kentucky in the 1960's and I suppose this is probably not unusual as there is an institution that takes in these unwanted children who are challenged.  He finds it very difficult to live with the secret and neither his wife nor surviving son (fraternal twin to the daughter) recover from the 'death'.  It is interesting to see how a secret can shape people's lives and the possibilities of a different life if there was honesty in the first place.  Also, would you ever reveal that you've lied about something this huge after keeping it a secret for half a lifetime?  Not a page turner for me, though.  Too Lifetime original movie I think.

    Two out of five.