On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down's syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. But Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the infant. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this story that unfolds over a quarter of a century in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by David Henry's fateful decision that long-ago winter night.

Although I enjoyed this, I don't think it was worthy of all the recommendations, and I found it rather too long. It started off well, but I found the middle section rather repetitive and boring. All the loose ends were tied together very neatly at the end.

Offered in a live online bookswap, and won by Cassiopaeia.

Thank you herrgirl, it arrived in today's post. I noticed it is a week since you posted it, that's unusually slow for Royal Mail, must be the Christmas rush!

This is the type of book that I could possibly see myself not finishing. I think we all have times when a book just doesn’t hit the spot when we pick it up. Luckily it wasn’t that particular moment for me just now. Initially, I struggled with the slowness of the story. Although it opens with a momentous event in the first chapter, everything then slows as the affected lives continue and diverge in their individual sorrow. The story gathers speed again about halfway through, when the maturing voices of the children are added to the narrative. I thought the ending was very apt, there is some resolution but much is left hidden, they can only guess at his motives, his real grief will probably never be discovered or understood. Such is life. I’m very glad I preserved with this, well worth the effort.

Many thanks herrgirl for this good read.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to Sirah in Helsinki as a Rabck.
KTM challenge 2008

Thank you, Cassiopaeia, for the RABCK!!!