Exquisite despite tendencies to be verbose, this debut novel of Kim Edwards is touching inasmuch as it explores the pains of errors from the past, miscalculations from the present and uncertainties of the future.The reading can be slow in its process of breaking through character histories that tend to bog down what one would wish was a better pace of plot. But when events unfold and characters unravel their feelings as a reaction to what defines their lives, the pain that the writer captures becomes incomparable. The love/hate relationships that define parents and their children, the tricks played by fate and the vulnerabilities of men are all too human ... all to real.There is no such thing as a perfect work ... and because of all its imperfections especially in capturing the human heart and mind, THE MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER is one of the best reads that leave an undefinable ache after you reach its last sentence.