If you're looking for a quick read...

David Henry delivers his twins during a freak blizzard in 1964. His son, Paul is perfectly healthy; his daughter, Phoebe, has Down syndrome. In a split-second decision that haunts him for the rest of his life, David asks his nurse to take his daughter to an institution and tells his wife that their daughter died. Thus begins The Memory Keeper's Daughter, a highly readable book by Kim Edwards.

David's decision irrevocably changes not only his own life but also the lives of his wife, Norah, and his nurse, Caroline. In a single moment, they inherit futures they never envisioned where secrets are carefully kept and bind people together as much as they push them apart. David and Norah's relationship never recovers from the loss of their daughter, and their marriage is one of slow but sure deterioration. Caroline, meanwhile, recoils at the institutionalized life David instructs for his daughter. She spirits Phoebe away and raises her as her own, fighting against a society where anyone with Down syndrome is seen as a lost cause.

Edwards doesn't explore the characters' subtleties or the ambiguity of their decisions as much as she could. Her plot is ripe with opportunities for real complexity, but she often skims the surface of these characters rather than exposing the raw emotion that sustains their desires and heartaches. Even so, The Memory Keeper's Daughter is readable and provoking enough to be good, though not great.