My Thoughts

The Memory Keeper's Daughter was a heart breaking story that truly portrays the time period of the mid 1900s. It expresses how individuals with mental/physical disablities were viewed and treated. It still amazes me that David thought he could make the decision of putting his and Norah's child into an institution without consulting her first. Caroline takes it upon herself to care for a child that is not even hers and that act of love and kindness is remarkable. 

1988

Rosemary and her son Jack move back and live with her family. Norah and David have divorced and Norah is dating other men. Paul is traveling around the world studying music, pursuing his dream. David dies of heart attack as Norah looks through David’s photographs, she sees the way he viewed the world and understands him so much more. Phoebe is in love with Robert, who is a male of interest also with Down syndrome…this to me was the cutest part of the story, too cute! Phoebe and Robert wanted to get married and live in a home together. Caroline who has raised Phoebe since birth is apprehensive about letting Phoebe live on her home especially with her condition. Upon hearing about David’s death Caroline finds Norah and tells her the truth about Phoebe, who Norah believes to be dead. Norah and Paul finally get to meet Phoebe and they both attend Norah’s wedding. Paul takes Phoebe to visit their father’s grave…a very sentimental moment.

1982

5 years later, Paula and Phoebe are both 18 years old. While at an arts show located in Pittsburg, Caroline shows up and shows him pictures of Phoebe. He briefly speaks to an art critic and Caroline leaves. David visits his parents abandoned house where he finds a pregnant 16 year old girl named Rosemary. He reveals his secret to Rosemary and he asks her to come and live with him. Shocked by David’s behavior, David and Norah believe that Rosemary and David have sexual relations. After spending time with Rosemary, Paul learns the truth, but remains upset with his father. Paul steals his neighbors car and gets arrested and his parents come to get him. Paul is accepted at Julliard.

1977

7 years later, Phoebe and Paul are now thirteen years old. Caroline and Al have been married for five years. Caroline has Phoebe make her confirmation and Dorothy and Trace (her man) have embarked on a yearlong cruise (how nice!). Over the thirteen years Caroline saved all of the money sent from David and put it in a trust fund for Phoebe. David sends Caroline a letter requesting that she let him finally meet Phoebe and to let Paula and Phoebe meet. Caroline soon has a panic, for Phoebe disappears while rescuing a kitten from a drainage pipe. She decides to not contact David again, fearing he would hurt Phoebe the way he hurt her by ignoring her love for him.  Paul is an aspiring musician and wants to attend Juliard where he will play guitar. He is a risk taker and walks on the rail road tracks. Norah and David lead separate lives and have different on what Paul should do with his life as he grows older. Norah simply wants to see him be happy, stable, and successful. Norah is frustrated with the void in her marriage and continues to excel in her job as traveling agent. Norah has an affair with a fellow named Howard while on vacation in Aruba…hmm seems like she knew how to heal that void. Paula and David both learn what she has done and David blames himself and continues to pursue photography.

1970

The distance between the Henrys has grown even further. David is now an aspiring photographer with his own dark room, where he keeps Phoebe's pictures and Caroline's letters hidden; he retreats further into himself, immersing himself in his work - whilst Norah, still drinking secretly, is overprotective of Paul and has taken to throwing herself into time-consuming projects and activities to distract herself and fill up her days, including applying for a job with a travel agency in an attempt to build a life of her own. Paul, however, is oblivious to this - a happy six-year-old, doing well at school, seems to have an aptitude for music and singing, as well as a severe allergy to bees and a broken arm which he sustains falling out of a tree.
In Pittsburgh, contrary to the prediction David made at her birth, Phoebe is growing up a healthy child- she loves butterflies and singing, and attends preschool. Caroline and a group of other women - the Upside Down Society - are petitioning to let their children go to public school. Leo March has died, but Doro - used to Caroline and Phoebe's company - asks her to remain living with them. Al still visits Caroline regularly, and has twice proposed to her - however, she has turned him down both times, doubting not his love for her but his love for Phoebe. Each time he visits, he brings small gifts for her or Phoebe, and her letters - containing money - from David Henry. While playing, Phoebe is stung by a bee, and Phoebe also turns out to be allergic. Al helps get Phoebe to a hospital, and steps in when a nurse's comment about Phoebe's condition makes Caroline see red. At this, Caroline realizes that he really does love Phoebe. Al asks her to marry him for a third time, and she says yes. AWW!

1965

Losing a child caused a void in the relationship between Norah and David, despite the fact that they are living in a new home with baby Paul, they do not fit well together. Norah desires to have another child, David says no because he believes she is only trying to replace Phoebe. I think David is right when he believes this because Norah grieves the loss of her child and having another baby would help ease her pain, but those are not the right reasons to have another child. David reflects on his childhood and how his family was financially unfortunate, the sickness and death of his sister June, and life with his parents. On the evening of David and Norah’s anniversary Norah drinks too much and crashes her car. For the anniversary, Norah gifts David with a new camera which he strikes an interest in immediately.
Caroline works for a lady names Dorothy March, as a private nurse for her father named Leo in Pittsburgh. Leo is wise, but with age his mind his slowly leaving him. Caroline and Phoebe live with Leo and Dorothy while Caroline works for them, providing them with room, board, and pay. Caroline says that Phoebe is her daughter and treats her as such. Dorothy quickly picks up on Phoebe’s lack of development and Caroline tells her that she has Down syndrome and that she had to leave her father, for he desired to place her in an institution. Caroline continues to send pictures and letters to David regarding his daughter Phoebe. In return David sends Caroline sums of money to help assist the living situation. The truck driver named Al who helped Caroline after her car failed, learns where Caroline lives and begins to visit frequently. Could Al have an interest in Caroline? I wonder!

1964

David Henry’s wife Norah goes into premature labor during a blizzard and David is forced to perform the delivery with only the help of the nurse named Caroline Gill. The first child is born and he is a healthy boy named Paul, but they soon learn that she is giving birth to twins and David realizes that their daughter has Down syndrome. He reflects on his the death of his sister June who died of heart complications and this makes him decide to place the child in an institution. He wanted to spare Norah the pain of losing a child so he made this decision without consulting her first...very deceitful in my opinion. Caroline the nurse, who is also in love with David, is asked to bring the child to the institution. She cannot bring herself to leave the child in such a horrible place and keeps the baby for herself.  She remembers that Norah had wanted to name the children Paul and Phoebe and names the baby Phoebe. While at the store, Caroline’s car battery dies and Al Simpson the truck driver who is nearby comes to her aid and brings them back to their home in Lexington...staying for the night. David flat out lies to Norah and says that their daughter died at birth. Friends and family expect her to just appreciate that she has a healthy baby boy and not to grieve over the loss of her daughter. Without telling David, Norah decides to hold a memorial for Phoebe and puts an announcement in the paper. Caroline sees this and soon tells David that she did not bring Phoebe to the institution, but has decided to care for her herself. David offers her money, however she refuses. Carolina and Phoebe leave for Pittsburgh.