The Memory Keeper's Daughter

What was your main inspiration for starting to write a novel?

Well, I have always written—my first book was a collection of short stories called The Secrets of a Fire King, which will be reissued by Penguin.  I really enjoy the demands and pleasures of the story form, and I will certainly return to it.  However, I knew from the beginning that the idea for The Memory Keeper’s Daughter was too big to be a story.  I wrote the first chapter very quickly, after thinking about the idea for several years, and once I had that chapter done I was simply intrigued by the characters and wanted to find out where the events of that night in 1964 would take them in their lives.  Writing is always a process of discovery—I never know the end, or even the events on the next page, until they happen.  There’s a constant interplay between the imagining and shaping of the story.

How did you come up with ideas for this novel?

The initial idea for the novel came from a confluence of two events.  Shortly after my story collection The Secrets of a Fire King was published, one of the pastors of my church said she had a story to give me.  The story was very brief, about a man who discovered when he was in his 40s that he’d had a brother, born with Down syndrome, who was institutionalized at birth and kept a secret from the family all his life; he had died in the institution, unknown to anyone.  I was immediately struck by the idea of the secret at the center of this family.  I made a note of the story, but it wasn’t until a few years later, when I did a workshop with a group of adults who have mental disabilities, that I seriously began to consider writing this book.  I had a wonderful day with that group; they made a deep impression on me. 

While I’m writing—and I think most writers have had this experience—an exchange often develops between the imagined world and the real world.  As I’m working on a character, I’ll hear about an incident or see someone do something or overhear a bit of dialogue that seems to be part of one of my characters—or that inspires another character.  Yet it’s not all serendipity.  I also did a tremendous amount of research for this book, particularly on Down syndrome, but also on the historical and social events of the time in which these characters lived out their stories.  The change in expectations and possibilities for women, for example, was very much in my thoughts as I considered Norah and Bree, these two sisters born just a few years apart, but belonging, in many ways, to completely different eras.

What was the most surprising thing you discovered while researching “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter”?

I discovered so many things, exploring photography, the ancient geography of Kentucky, and of course Down syndrome, as well as many other, smaller topics.  There were many wonderful moments of discovery--in particular, I was fascinated to find that the small, button-shaped fossils I'd picked up on walks were actually parts of the stems of crinoids, an organism that resembles a sea lily and that once flourished in the shallow ancient seas that covered Kentucky. 

I also learned a tremendous amount about Down syndrome, as well as about the difficult landscape parents of children with Down syndrome faced when they started questioning conventional thinking, which recommended institutionalizing children, and opted to raise their children at home instead.  I discovered any number of quiet heroes, people who made a difference in individual lives and also inspired social change.  I remain very grateful to all the people who shared their own experiences and perceptions with me while I was writing The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, helping me gain a deep appreciation for their struggles and their joys. 

Is it Down’s syndrome, or Down syndrome? 

During the research for this novel, I found many, many variations in the spelling of Down syndrome, in a variety of different kinds of texts.  Before publication, the copy editors at Viking checked a current medical dictionary, which listed two acceptable variations in the spelling:  Down’s syndrome and Down syndrome.  The choice was made to go with Down’s syndrome, and that spelling was used consistently throughout The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.  After publication, a few readers felt concerned about this choice, citing a recent general trend toward using Down syndrome as the standard spelling.  Thus, in later printings, the spelling was changed to Down syndrome.

How long did it take you to write the book?

I wrote The Memory Keeper’s Daughter in about three years, from start to finish, of pretty steady work.  I write every day, in the mornings, for several hours.  Then I spent another year in the process of editing and production.

The words you use make the book almost like an extended song—a complex ballad. Were they words that flowed naturally all at once or did you make extensive revisions?

I started writing first because I love the sound and nuances of language, and I always think about the way the words sound, seeking both precision in meaning and cadences that reflect the narrative moment of the story.  The sentences often flow as I write, but I also do a great deal of revision.  It's not uncommon for me to go back to a word or phrase or sentence multiple times until I feel satisfied with both the meaning and the sound.

What's your next project?

I'm working on a new novel, a book I'd started and which was well underway before the paperback release of The Memory Keeper's Daughter. I've written all my life—I was telling stories even before I could write them down—so I'm very happy to be getting back to this new novel, as well as to several shorter pieces I have in progress.  Meanwhile, Penguin will reissue The Secrets of a Fire King, a collection of stories I wrote while living and traveling in Asia.  This collection was short-listed for the PEN/Hemingway award, and I’m delighted that it will soon be back in print.