The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

I finally read the book.  This is a book you cannot pick up, flip to a page and start reading just to get an idea if you'll like it.  You have to start at the beginning otherwise the section you go to makes no sense and really sounds quite boring.  However, once you start the book you cannot put it down. 

Edwards writes a poignant story of a doctor who, in making a seemingly intelligent but rash decision, causes his family to fall apart.  25 years later the truth is out and the family is still torn.  For readers, at least this reader, we want the opportunities to tell the truth to blossom to fruition and frequently suffer disappointment.  For those of us with a family member with Down Syndrome, people are truly aggravating (beginning to end) in what they say and do in response to seeing Phoebe.  This includes the father and the mother. 

Kudos to Edwards for hitting on some of the pertinent issues that have come up in the last 4 decades.  She skims over mainstreaming education, medical issues, institutionalization, quality of life, pity, empathy, fear, family dynamics, needs/desires of the person with DS, and support groups.  While she doesn't go into depth (book is way too short), as an outsider, it seems normal.  In the end there are still unresolved issues.  Birth Mom goes away without resolving her feelings or her wants.  Big Brother acts like a guardian without any knowledge of guardianship, and Phoebe's ideal of marrying and having kids is never truly addressed.  Also, the title is not explained, and it takes a little thought to determine it's probably Caroline Gill, although she doesn't have as much angst as Birth Dad and Birth Mom.

A fast read, this book can put people on the path to past history regarding Down Syndrome, but leaves the reader without the current knowledge of Down Syndrome.  It also strongly suggests Down Syndrome is an inherited birth defect.  It also does not delve into the full range of medical issues that can arise, but only mentions some of the most common, thus misleading the reader into believing most with DS have heart issues and low capabilities, making Phoebe unusual.