I went to Interlaken and then to Geneva over the last two days. And I finished the above book - The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. It was a book I bought when I was in UK cause I was running out of reading options.
This was a book that lasted me up for more than 12 hours. 3 hours on the train to Interlaken, another 3 to 4 hours in the Interlaken hostel, another 2 from Interlaken to Geneva and 4 hours from Geneva back to St Gallen. Quite a feat I would say as I used to rush through my books in one sitting. But I just wanted to absorb all the details in the book...
It's a hauntingly beautiful and poignant book. After reading, my mind went into overgear, thinking about the message I got from the book and what I've learnt.
Synopsis:
In 1964, a pair of twins, one boy and one girl, were born to this couple, the husband being a doctor. The girl was born with Down Syndrome and so, he made the decision to send her to an institution, hiding the truth from his wife and son, telling them instead that she had died. The secret wedged its way into their lives as the family seeked solace in different things.
The twist: The nurse who was supposed to bring the girl to the institution brought her up instead. And so what happens? Would they get to meet? What happens after they meet? What does it mean to have Down Syndrome?
The doctor's decision that fateful night was what set the gears into motion and providing the key that turned the lock of Pandora's box, unleashing the events written in the story. The story examines how hard it is to keep a secret, how hard it is being the person the secret is kept from. Seeking answers, seeking acceptance, not knowing how fortunate one is.
Gosh.. I feel like I'm writing a book review for primary school but I really enjoyed this book...
Heh.. another good read would be The Time Traveller's Wife which I finished way earlier, but didn't think of writing a 'review' for it... Maybe later, maybe soon...