He eventually moves away from Norah and Paul, and spends his time with a young woman named Rosemary and her little boy, Jack. David, on a journey to his ramshackle childhoood home, discovers a pregnant young girl whom he takes under his wing, sharing his secret of Phoebe with her. Norah becomes a successful travel agent, Paul finds his talent as a musician. Paul, as he grows up, is emotionally neglected by both parents due to their being so wrapped up in their own pain. He becomes obsessed with photography, while Norah begins to have affairs with other men. David begins to live in the throes of guilt and withdraws from his wife and son for reasons unknown to them. David finds out from Caroline Gill that Phoebe is with her and, although he means and intends to tell his wife the truth, it has gone too far and would be too difficult to shock her with the knowledge that her daughter is alive. Not seeing the lost baby, however, begins to haunt her and she feels Phoebe's presence, becoming obsessed with the loss of her. Since Norah was never allowed to see the girl baby named Phoebe, and David tells her that he had the child buried already, Norah holds a service for her and mourns her loss, even though she is happy to have their healthy son, Paul. Unmarried and somewhat in love with her boss, David Henry, she decides to keep the baby herself and raise her as her own. In the meantime, Caroline Gill, per instructions, takes the tiny infant to a home and finds the conditions so deplorable she is unable to leave the baby there. He tells Norah that she did give birth to a daughter, but that the little girl was stillborn. David asks Caroline to remove the girl baby so that his wife will not know. Norah gives birth to a healthy baby boy, but shortly thereafter, also gives birth to a small girl who has obvious signs of Downs Syndrome. Having made the treacherous drive through deep snow with Norah in labor, they meet with David's nurse, Caroline Gill, and prepare Norah for the birth. David Henry and his wife Norah are expecting a child in the middle of a stormy winter in 1964. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards is a poignant story of marriage, parenthood and a secret that entwines itself throughout the emotional lives of a family and, eventually, tears it apart.
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