I did what I always do with movies and books…I will read it or see it through hoping it will get better.
I was so hopeful that MKD would be better written, developed and more believable and was disappointed to find it wasn’t. There were so many opportunities to make it better. The photography, bee stings, Caroline and Al, the many affairs of Norah, breast cancer, etc. were merely written, really just jotted down to pull you in. A good novelist would know how to do this in a connective and intriguing way. While not understanding how a brilliant and loving doctor and husband would give away his child so quickly, I still followed that premise in ernest because in 1964 Down syndrome was something to be hidden…but not so quickly and not for the reasons as to not upset his wife and his own childhood memories! I felt none of the characters were developed effectively to warrant gut wrenching sympathy. I did not like Paul being in constant anger mode with his father [edited to remove potential plot spoilers]. I saw my husband in both Al and David, myself in Bree and Norah and that was good but not enough and thought her style was weak in character development.

The reality of life being drawn out over 25 years was intriguing but poorly done in my opinion. The writing was difficult to follow as she starts chapters with information whose contents must be deciphered by the reader without the punch of drama and anticipation ..... I felt she was just putting pieces together to create a plausible story and not a novel.