The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Author: Kim Edwards

One-sentence summary: A father’s choice at the birth of his twins sets in motion the direction of his family’s life and the secret that separates them despite their love for each other.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: There were occasional glimmers of really great writing and imagery that we appreciated.

Our least favorite thing about it: That the storytelling really was mediocre.

Main Topics of Discussion: Relationships, Choices, Consequences, Ethics, Secrets

Our favorite quote: “The world was made of hidden things, of secrets; built of bones that never saw the light.” p.202

Notes: The main thing we discussed about this book were the choices that all of the characters made, not just David, and the consequences that those choices brought. We talked about what we might have done and how the culture of the time (60s-70s) would have colored those decisions. We discussed how the secrets of all the characters prevented them from having any real intimacy in their relationships and how that ultimately tore their family apart. Those secrets prevented true disclosure and therefore hindered any real communication. The relationship that suffered the most was probably David and Norah, closely followed by Paul and both of his parents. These three were always getting into situations where they would misunderstand each other. Their conversations, which were meant in some cases to offer an olive branch by one party, ended up dividing them more because of the misunderstanding. This was frustrating to us as readers. We all agreed that the first chapter of the book was engaging and may have been the climax of the book; in it the choice that shapes the rest of the book is made. Therefore, the story of the rest of the character’s lives just doesn’t live up to the moment of choice in that first chapter. We discussed how the author would break through the sometimes bland storytelling and say something spectacular, which we all enjoyed and recognized.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We celebrated Lindsay’s birthday with birthday books and cookie sundaes and played three games together: Name That Author, First Lines: BAD Girls Edition, and Guess The Spice. We also briefly spoke to Amberly, who put in her rating for the book and spoke about her next choice for our group.