The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards

As this gripping novel unfolds, we glimpse the lives of the main characters and how well-intentioned, but abrupt decisions change lives forever. We follow the story of Norah and David Henry, their son, Paul, and daughter, Phoebe given away to Caroline Gill on a fateful wintry March day in 1964. In the early hours of this March day, Dr. David Henry delivers his twins, Paul and Phoebe. However, it is clear to him that there is something different about Phoebe. Haunted by the early death of his sister, June, Dr. Henry makes the fateful decision to send Phoebe away, to save his family from the inevitable trauma of losing a child. He then instructs Caroline Gill, a nurse working with him at the time, to take Phoebe to an institution for retarded children and tells Norah that her daughter died in birth. What she sees when she arrives there, horrifies Caroline so much that she refuses to allow Phoebe to grow up in such an environment.

Meanwhile, Norah is so traumatized by the death of her daughter that she organizes a memorial service to honor her daughter’s memory and put her grief to rest. At this point, Dr. Henry begins to regret that he lied about Phoebe, but realizes it is too late to undue his actions, when he finds Caroline Gill’s apartment empty and Phoebe gone.

In another city, Caroline Gill raises Phoebe as her daughter. Although Phoebe has her challenges growing up, the tragedy that Dr. David Henry imagined for his daughter in 1964 does not occur. Yet, the only contact he has with his daughter is through letters and photos that Caroline sends to him over the years. To assuage his guilty conscience, David sends Caroline money for Phoebe. When the letters and photos suddenly stop arriving, David is at a loss. He tries to find Caroline and Phoebe, but is unsuccessful, until fate brings Caroline and David together for a brief time. But Caroline is not ready to let go of the past and vanishes again.

Over time, the tragic consequences of his actions tears apart the fabric of Norah and David’s marriage, as Norah fills the emotional void left by her daughter with a demanding career as a travel agent. Her long absences irrevocably effect the bonds she has with her husband and son, Paul. Her extra-marital affairs are just one sign of this disconnect, as David Henry blames himself for these acts of infidelity. For his part, David fills the void by recording the events, people and images of his life on film. Their son Paul is another victim of the rift, as he is a reminder of the fateful day in 1964.

David never meets the daughter he gave away. After Caroline leaves on that starry night, he returns to his childhood home, without telling Norah or Paul. Over the next three days, he spills the story of March 1964 to a stranger he finds in his old home, Rosemary, a pregnant teenager with no other place to go. When he returns home later, disheveled, with Rosemary, his marriage finally crumbles and he moves into a duplex which he shares with Rosemary. Rosemary eventually has a son, Jack, and David takes care of him when Rosemary is at school. But this arrangement does not last long, as Rosemary moves away when she marries Stuart Wells, the father of her son. Before she goes, however, she tries to persuade David to tell Norah. With a heavy heart, David decides to tell Norah the truth and sets out on a run to the house that he once shared with her. However, he arrives to find an empty house. When he realizes that she is away, he loses the nerve to confess the truth of that long ago day; instead, his last words are “I fixed the bathroom sink. Happy Birthday, David”.

A massive heart attack takes his life later that day and Norah must return from a vacation in France for his funeral. Months later, Caroline Gill appears on Norah’s door step, as Norah packs up her belonging in preparation for her move to France.  At last, Caroline reveals the truth about what happened in 1964. Though the news shocks and angers Norah at first, she eventually forgives David for the lie that tore them apart.  Paul is not so understanding due to the estranged relationship he had with his father near the end of his father’s life.  In the end, Paul and Norah forge a bond with Phoebe and Caroline, determined to become acquainted with the daughter and sister they never knew and the woman who raised her. This story proves that love paves the way for forgiveness and healing, making it possible to forge new bonds with a full heart.

Gideon, The Cutpurse

Summary: The past & present collide when Kate and Peter find themselves transported back to 1763, England. At first, they are unaware that they have traveled back in time. All they remember is chasing Molly, their canine companion. But before long, the cast of characters they meet convince them that they are far from home–two hundred and forty years. Therefore, they must rely on the help of Gideon, a suspected cutpurse, or thief to get them back to their own time by helping them track down the machine that landed them here. Soon, they realize that they aren’t the only ones who want that machine, and must navigate the dangerous side of 1763 London to get it back.

In a parallel story, their parents and investigators are trying to solve the riddle of the missing children and the ant-gravity machine. It doesn’t immediately occur to them that the anti-gravity properties of the machine can warp time, but mysterious sighting of ghosts resembling Kate and Peter lead them to this conclusion. These sightings arouse the suspicions of Detective Wheeler, who leads the investigation to find Kate and Peter, despite NASA scientists’ intentions to keep the machine a secret.

But the question remains: if the machine created a time warp and transported Kate and Peter back to 1763, how will that knowledge help to return them safely to the 21st century? A twist of events answers that question with a surprise ended that even Gideon couldn’t anticipate.

Review: A good book that took some time to develop. The style of writing was unusual and took some getting used to. The characters were well drawn and the setting was vivid; I felt as if I had been transported back in time.

The Golden Compass

The characters in the story, Lord Asriel and his counterpart, Mrs. Coulter seek to control the time/space connection by collecting ‘dust’ from children. Through experiments and study, both scholars learn that the ‘dust’ or particles of energy found on children provides the necessary means to build a bridge between the world of northern England and the one visible through the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. The golden compass or alethiometer is a crucial tool in this quest because it provides the keys to unlocking the secrets of the universe and finding the point at which these two worlds meet.

The story centers around a golden compass or alethiometer, a tool quite different from the compasses we use to tell us what direction we are traveling in. In contrast, this compass doesn’t give a direction, but through its sophisticated symbols and codes, provides answers to profound questions and helps the possessor peer into the thoughts and actions of other people. This compass proves extremely helpful to Lyra Belacqua, who gains possession of the object through the Master of Jordan College before she goes north with a group of Gyptians or people who live in boats.The goal is to rescue her father, Lord Asriel and children who had been kidnapped by the “Gobblers”, or members of the General Oblation Board, which her mother, Mrs. Coulter.They form alliances with three key characters, the Witch Queen, Serafina Pekkala; Lee Scoresby, a Texan Aeronaut and owner of a hot air balloon; and Iorek Byrinson, an armored polar bear, to confront their foes. Along the way, they encounter challenges, including Lyra’s capture and rescue from Bolvangar. In the end, the forces of good trump evil as Lyra and her friend Roger escape the grasp of Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel, as they travel to another world.

Filled with  a mixture of suspense, adventure and fantasy, the author offers a compelling, colorful narrative. The relationship between human and animal characters seems natural and believable. Although the plot slowly developed, the ending proved to be a satisfying conclusion to a worthwhile read.