The Memory Keeper‘s Daughter (2005) 《 不存在的女兒 》

1. The Memory Keeper‘s Daughter(2005)《不存在的女兒》 Kim Edwards (1958~ )

2. Kim Edwards • Kim Edwards was born in Killeen, Texas, • on May 4, 1958. Shortly after her birth, • her parents moved to New York. • At the University of Iowa, she received • an MFA in fiction and an MA in linguistics. • After completing her graduate work, Edwards and her • husband accepted teaching jobs first on the rural east • coast of Malaysia, then in Japan, and finally in Phnom • Penh, Cambodia. The couple stayed in Asia for five • years, during which time Edwards began to publish • short stories. • She currently teaches writing at the University of • Kentucky.

3. Short Stories • In 1990, Kim Edwards won the Nelson Algren Award for her story “Sky Juice.” • Edwards has published many award-winning short stories and was honored by having her story "The Great Barrier Reef" published in the 1993 collection Best American Short Stories.

4. The Secrets of a Fire King (1997) • a short story collection • short-listed for 1998 PEN/Hemingway Award • Nelson Algren Award • selected for a Barnes and Noble Discovery Award and won the 2005 Kentucky Literary Award for fiction.

5. The Memory Keeper's Daughter (2005) • Kim Edwards’first novel • a New York Times Bestseller • chosen by USA Today as the best book of 2006 • won the Sainsbury's Popular Fiction Award at the 2008 British Book Awards h

6. 1964 March ~ September 1989 I: David II: Caroline III: Norah IV: Al Setting: Time

7. Setting: Place • Lexington, Kentucky • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • West Virginia

8. Characters

9. Dr. Bentley Mr. McCallister Mrs. McCallister Mr. Asher Mrs. Asher June McCallister Norah Henry Bree Asher David Henry Rosemary Paul Henry Lauren Young Phoebe Henry Robert Duke Madison Michelle Caroline Gill Albert Simpson Lucy Martin Howard Leo March Sandra Sam Dorothy "Doro" March Trace Tim

10. David Henry (McCallister) (33~) • main character, husband of Norah, father of Paul and Phoebe. • June McCallister • David's sister who died young.

11. Norah Asher • Henry’s wife • Brigitte "Bree" Asher • Norah's sister, who is vibrant and outgoing, the opposite of Norah.

12. Paul Henry • son of Norah and David, brother of Phoebe, a guitarist. fraternal twins • Phoebe Henry (Gill) • the daughter David gives away • the girl with Down Syndrome whom Caroline Gill raises.

13. Caroline Gill • nurse, who worked for David • raised Phoebe. • Albert "Al" Simpson • truck driver • who marries Caroline and helps to raise Phoebe.

14. Mark Bell—one of Bree's boyfriends, a Vietnam veteran who lost part of his foot in the war. • Dr. Bentley—doctor who works with David. • Howard—Norah's first lover whom she met in Aruba. • Sam—another one of Norah's lovers. • Lucy Martin—nosey woman who lives in Caroline's apartment building. • Robert—young man with Down Syndrome who loves Phoebe. • Lauren Young—girl with whom Paul has sex. • Duke Madison—young pianist friend of Paul who introduces Paul to marijuana.

15. Dorothy "Doro" March—hires Caroline in Pittsburgh and shares her home with Caroline. • Leo March—father of Doro, somewhat senile, retired professor whom Caroline takes care of. • Trace—Doro's man friend whom she later marries. • Sandra—woman who befriends Caroline in Pittsburgh. • Tim—Sandra's son who has Down Syndrome. • Michelle—young woman living with Paul. • Rosemary—young woman living in David's West Virginia abandoned family home. David brings her home to Kentucky with him. She is pregnant.

16. Down's Syndrome • Formerly referred to as "mongolism," Down's syndrome is a form of retardation that is marked by almond-shaped, slightly slanted eyes, stubby limbs and digits and a somewhat flattened face. Many people affected with Down's syndrome live into middle age and can often be high-functioning, which is how Phoebe Henry is described in this story.

17. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. • The condition was caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21, which was identified by Jérôme Lejeune in 1959.

18. Rivers as Symbolism for Life • Kim Edwards uses the device of rivers, to suggest a deeper meaning for her characters. David and Norah have wonderful moments on the river when he asks her to marry him and again when Paul is a baby. They make memories there they will never forget. Caroline Gill crosses the Ohio River and almost gives Phoebe to a home, but turns back.

19. As a young woman, Norah also drives toward the river with little Paul in the back seat, seeking something she is missing in her life, and dealing with her grief. • David tries to take photos for Norah on the river's beach, wanting to obscure the beauty as well as his pain. • When David considers suicide, standing at the confluence of rivers in Pittsburgh, he faces a choice to live or die.

20. Late in Paris, when Norah has returned after David's funeral, the smells and sounds of the river bring up emotions for her that make her faint. She and Frederic later rent a small house near a river in Chateauneuf, France. • Caroline watches the "river of traffic" from her house as she talks on the phone to David's lawyer. • The consistent flow of the river represents the fact that life continues to move along, despite our emotional ups and downs, our lies and our joy.

21. Themes Burden of secrets Loneliness of a disintegrating marriage Need for disabled children to feel accepted by society

22. The Burden of Secrets • David Henry's secret is so powerful it destroys his marriage and keeps him estranged from his children. • David, haunted by childhood memories, makesa hurried decision immediately following the birth of his and his wife's twins. It is a decision made in a panic and only later will David realize the full extent of the consequences. All through the novel, David tries to reveal his secret to his wife. But the longer he hesitates, the more difficult this becomes. The burden of keeping the secret of having given his daughter away turns out to far outweigh the disadvantages the Down Syndrome child might have caused.

23. Loneliness of a disintegrating marriage • Neither Norah and her son Paul seems able to connect with anyone, at least not until the end of the novel. Norah admits that at first she wants a man in her life who will protect and save her. Then as the story progresses, she realizes that this is not a very fulfilling life. Her sister Bree, who appears to live a carefree life, going against traditional roles of women and doing whatever she wants to do at the moment, influences her. This leads Norah to believe that by throwing perfect parties and entering into momentarily exciting but empty relationships will help her rid herself of the emptiness that she feels. She also tries to blame David for most of her problems. It is not clear, even by the end of the novel, that Norah has solved any of her problems. Yes, she has become a successful businesswoman and has found a man whom she believes she loves. But whether she ever realizes that she is responsible for her own happiness remains ambiguous.

24. Like his mother, Paul also has problems of loneliness and need. Paul never gets enough of his father, even though they spend time fishing and walking through the woods. Paul's father tries to be a part of Paul's life, or at least tries to make Paul a part of David's life. But Paul is forever suspicious of his father, which might be due to his mother's lack of trust in him. But Paul does not appear to be much closer to his mother. Although Norah acts as if she understands Paul better than David understands their son, Paul, at one point, becomes disgusted with his mother when he discovers she is having an affair. Paul turns to music to fill his loneliness. Despite the fact that Paul becomes very accomplished as a musician, he is incapable of understanding love until he meets Phoebe. By the end of the novel, it appears that Paul is the most changed character. He opens his heart for his sister and takes her into his life.

25. The need for disabled children to feel accepted by society • The issue of children with Down Syndrome, especially as they were in the past century, is another theme. This part of the theme is first demonstrated through David, a physician who should have known better. His rejection of Phoebe represents the fear that people have when facing a child with Phoebe's condition. David responds with only the negative aspects, and he even exaggerates them. He is, of course, influenced by his own childhood memories of having to take care of a very ill sister, but as someone who was out to heal the world, as David was, his actions were inexcusable. Most of Caroline's story is centered on helping Phoebe to adjust to a world that was often against her. Unlike David, Caroline sees beyond Phoebe's differences and fights for her rights to live a life defined by what was normal for Phoebe.