The Memory Keeper's Daughter
By Kim Edwards
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the website for The Memory Keeper’s Daughter!
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter opens with a pivotal moment, one that changes the lives of all its characters forever. Forced to deliver his own twins in a snow storm, Dr. David Henry sees at once that while his son is healthy, his daughter has Down syndrome. He makes a split second decision to send his daughter to an institution; meaning to spare his wife what he imagines will be years of grief, he tells her that their daughter died. His nurse can’t leave the infant, however. Instead, she flees with her to Pittsburgh, where she raises the girl as her own.
I had been thinking about this novel idea for about three years before I started writing, and the opening chapter came to me very quickly. Once I’d written it, I found myself completely absorbed. I wanted to understand how these characters responded to the events of this night and how their choices shaped their lives. Writing is always a process of discovery—I never know how the story will unfold until I write it—and one of the pleasures of writing The Memory Keeper’s Daughter was finding the strength and resilience that emerged in these characters in the face of difficult circumstances they did not completely understand.
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter did very well when it was published in hardcover, receiving good reviews and reaching many readers. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the breathtaking reception of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter in paperback, simultaneously reaching the #1 place on The New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, and Book Sense best seller lists within just weeks of publication.
As an author, it’s very deeply satisfying to know your work is being widely read and discussed. I thank you all for your warm reception of my novel, and for recommending The Memory Keeper’s Daughter to friends, family, and book groups! I hope this website will contribute to the conversation, and that it will answer some of the questions that come up most frequently about The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.
Best wishes,
