AUTHOR : Kim Edward,

OUTLINE : On a stormy night in 1964, a doctor secretly gives away his newborn daughter with Down syndrome. That single decision shapes two separate families over twenty-five years, bound by loss, silence, and an unseen life growing in love elsewhere.

Rating – 4/5,
Pages – 401,
First Published – 23, June 2005,
Language – English,
Genres – Fiction, Book Club, Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction, Adult, Drama, Down’s Syndrome, Novels, Family

Synopsis:

On a bitter winter night in 1964, a sudden blizzard leaves Dr. David Henry with no choice but to deliver his own twins. His son is born healthy, but when his daughter arrives, he immediately recognizes the signs of Down syndrome. In a moment of fear and misguided protection, he convinces himself that hiding the truth will spare his wife, Norah, unbearable pain. Acting on impulse, he asks the attending nurse to take the newborn away to an institution and to keep the child’s existence a secret forever.

But the nurse, Caroline, cannot abandon the baby. Instead, she vanishes into another city, choosing to raise the child as her own. From this single, irreversible decision unfolds a story that spans twenty-five years, tracing two families who remain strangers to one another yet are forever linked by that stormy night.

Believing her daughter died at birth, Norah is consumed by grief, a sorrow that slowly erodes her marriage. Their son, Paul, grows up largely on his own, in a home chilled by silence and loss. Meanwhile, Phoebe, the hidden daughter, grows from a bright, joyful child into a confident young woman, nurtured by a mother who loves her with unwavering devotion.

My Experience:

This is a novel I chose for myself, picked up from the Famous Books section at Crossword on M.G. Road, Bangalore. From the very first pages, it drew me in. It is a powerful and deeply engaging read that explores a wide range of emotions, the different stages of life, the weight of our decisions, and what achievement truly means.

What makes this book stand out is how closely it mirrors real life. The emotions woven into each character are so vivid and authentic that you don’t just read about them, you feel them. Long after turning the last page, those emotions linger, making the story both memorable and profoundly human.

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