The Memory Keeper's Daughter

After an emergency at the hospital, David is late to Paul’s concert, which Norah rebukes him for. David remembers traveling with Norah at first when she organized trips through the travel agency, then watching and marveling as she became more independent. He thinks of how she cheated on him in Aruba. They argue more until another set of parents behind them ask them to be quiet. David remembers seeing Norah’s clothes discarded on the beach outside Howard’s cottage after he and Paul came back from their canceled fishing trip:“David suspected that Paul had seen them too” (191). David remembers Paul being moody when he came back early from his run, which wasn’t unusual because Paul is a moody teenager. David remembers going for a walk and happening upon Norah's clothes, at which he feels both anger and guilt because he gave Phoebe away and built a rock wall between himself and his family.

Paul walks out onstage, and David is surprised at how much of an adult he has become. Paul plays “Estudio” and “Estudio Sin Luz,” which David remembers spilling out from their Aruba cottage as Paul practiced. David thinks of his sister: “A deep sense of loss rose up in him, so forceful, woven of so many memories” (195). Norah and David talk about Paul wanting to attend Julliard, which Norah supports but David is worried he’ll get hurt or will be poor. They find Paul after the concert, who admits he was nervous but that his instructor asked him to play an arts festival. Norah compliments Paul who mocks her, and David stands up for her. Norah suggests they invite people over to celebrate, but Paul just wants to go home and goes directly to his room. David goes upstairs to talk to him and thinks about how giving up Phoebe was a mistake, but Paul escapes out the window. 

David informs Norah, and they discuss where Paul might be and that he’s not okay. David alludes to Norah’s infidelity but says that it’s his fault. David drives around and finds Paul, talking about how impressed he was at his performance but how he wants Paul to keep options for his future open because Paul needs to make a living. Paul talks about how joyless his parents’ relationship is and about how David doesn’t care about Norah cheating on him with Howard, which David refutes. Paul talks about how music makes him feel alive and how David is impressing his failed dreams upon Paul. David takes Paul into his darkroom, showing him a picture of a heart that he has rendered to look like a tree and telling him: “Photography is all about secrets”(201). Paul says that music is being in tune with the world’s secrets and leaves angrily to go play guitar in his bedroom.

David thinks about secrets and his mysterious wife, then goes to the mini-fridge to pull out money he sends for Phoebe. This time, he writes a letter to Caroline about his hopes for Phoebe. He asks Caroline if he can meet her, suggesting that Paul should meet her as well. He looks through the photos from Aruba, finding one of Howard and Norah at the dinner party the night before she cheated. He contemplates how his family members’ lives have been “constantly shaped by the gravity of the choice he’d made so many years ago” (203), leaving the photograph out in the elements to darken until it becomes completely black.

Paul and Duke walk along the railroad tracks. When they hear a train coming, they stand there, jumping only just before the train hits them. Paul thinks about how his mother doesn’t like him hanging out with Duke but decides “what she didn’t see wouldn’t hurt her. What she didn’t know” (206). Paul remembers their trip to Aruba and how his dad used fishing to connect with him. But he also remembers finding his mother’s clothes—specifically her flamingo shirt—on the beach outside Howard’s cottage. Paul remembers realizing that his family’s secrets and tension was not normal when he started hanging out with Duke, whose parents are involved in his life even though they are comparatively poor. 

He and Duke discuss what to do while Paul thinks of images. Duke pulls out some weed, and they decide to go to Paul’s house to smoke. He laughs as he thinks about smoking on his parents’ sofa but decides they should smoke outside instead. Paul gets really high, and they go back inside to eat food and order pizza. Paul starts playing his guitar and Duke plays the piano. They are so high they don’t notice when the pizza delivery guy comes. They eat the pizza and Paul thinks about his father. His mom calls to say she’ll be home late, annoyed when she finds out David isn’t home yet even though he promised he would be. Paul asks if the people she’s with like flamingos, confusing her, but then she hangs up. Paul drinks a bunch of milk, then asks Duke if they can get any more pot. Duke calls his connect, and Paul remembers drawing his family as a child with Phoebe, and how his mom took him to her grave once. He feels like it is his fault that his parents’ marriage is failing:“He was alive, after all. He was here. So surely it was his job to protect them” (213).

Paul and Duke go into David’s darkroom, and Duke is impressed at David’s photography. Paul takes some of the money David keeps for Phoebe, which Paul found when he was looking through his father’s darkroom one day after David forgot his promise to teach Paul about photography equipment. He thinks about watching his father develop film from their Aruba trip, and how sad he looked for a moment before he composed himself. Duke’s friends show up, and the group sit around smoking.Paul gets too high and starts getting paranoid, worried his dad will show up at any minute. The others start going through Paul’s dad’s photographs, scattering them all over the floor:“Don’t: it was a scream inside his head, yet nothing came out of his mouth” (216). A bottle breaks, and Paul refuses to move from the corner. The others leave,and Paul looks at the mess. He is too tired to do anything, so he falls asleep.

David comes home early in the morning to find Paul asleep in his studio amidst a mess of ruined photographs. David is furious and demands to know what happened. Paul gives evasive answers, trying not to cry. David asks if he is responsible for ruining David’s work, and Paul replies that he didn’t stop them. David says that Paul will have to skip rehearsals until all David’s work is reconstructed, and Paul says he’s just trying to get him to stop playing music. David picks up a photograph and talks briefly about his family growing up, mentioning that June died young. David talks about growing up poor, and how he wanted to make sure Paul never lacked for anything. Paul apologizes, saying he’ll clean everything but refuses to give up music. David acknowledges his apology and leaves. Paul starts cleaning, thinking about his father.

Caroline photographs Phoebe at her confirmation, who is incredibly excited and goes to hug Sandra’s son, Tim. She remembers that she got in trouble for hugging earlier that year, but Caroline reassures her. Phoebe gets distracted by a kitten, and Caroline looks at the party and the cake: “three layers, for three celebrations: Phoebe’s confirmation, her own wedding anniversary, and Doro’s retirement, a bon voyage” (222). They enjoy the party and the company of their friends, neighbors, and other members of the Upside Down Society. Caroline thinks about her marriage to Al when he sneaks up behind her to kiss her. She thinks about how Doro gave Caroline the deed to the house, which she has not told Al yet. 

Doro arrives with her lover, Trace, with whom she is going on a year-long cruise.They all joke about Doro being a wind goddess. Phoebe asks if she can keep a kitten and then suggests that she is going with Doro on her trip. Caroline reflects on how much her life has changed since she moved to Pittsburgh. Caroline feels incredibly happy. After the party, Doro helps clean up, admitting that she is excited but also feels strange to leave her house. They sit on the porch and talk for a bit; Doro reminisces about growing up when the street was quieter. Doro confesses to feeling free,and they talk about how they saved each other's lives. Doro and Trace leave.

Al and Caroline exchange anniversary gifts: Al carved a wooden heart for Caroline, and Caroline gives him the key to the house. Al is hesitant to be tied down to a singular location, suggesting that they wander to world together. Caroline resists this: “I’m happy right where I am. You’ll get bored of me” (228). Al refutes this. They talk about Phoebe’s maturation. They talk more about traveling, and Caroline agrees to come on a few trips with him, although she maintains that Phoebe does not like change. 

Caroline talks to Al about a strange letter she received from Phoebe’s father, which talks about Paul and David meeting Phoebe. Al bristles at the idea that he is not Phoebe’s father. Caroline confesses the truth about how she obtained Phoebe, which she had not told Al before. Al reassures her that she did the right thing. Caroline worries that David might take Phoebe away, but Al says he’ll support whatever decision she makes regarding David.

It rains the next day, and Phoebe says she wants a cat after Caroline reprimands her for not using full sentences. Phoebe persists, and Caroline eventually gets frustrated with her and loses her patience:“It wasn’t about Phoebe. It was just that Caroline didn’t know how to answer David Henry, and she was afraid” (133). She begins writing a letter to David expressing her concerns and thinks about the $15,000 she has saved up in a trust for Phoebe over the years. She worries about what David will do if she agrees to let him see Phoebe and pushes the letter aside.

She goes on the porch to look for Phoebe, who has vanished. She goes out to look for her, finding neighborhood children who tell her that Phoebe went to rescue a cat. She finds Phoebe cuddling the kitten inside a drainage pipe with water gushing all around her. Phoebe won’t leave until Caroline acquiesces to allowing her to keep the kitten. She thinks about the unfinished letter to David on the table:“She had stood at the back door watching the rain, thinking only of Phoebe’s father, while Phoebe wandered into danger. It seemed like an omen” (236). Caroline decides she won’t write to David anymore.