What genre of fiction is The Memory Keeper's Daughter?

This book was recommended to me by a friend, however, as a
new mother time is more valuable than weapons-grade plutonium and to spend it
frivolously on a book not worthy of such a precious commodity is, for me, a high-risk
venture. However, I rolled the dice and accepted the loan of her book, promising to
return it quickly and as pristine as possible because the look in her eyes as she handed
it over, made me appreciate that books, for her, are not just something to do in your
spare time. Five pages in and I had lost my heart.

The air
is filled with fat, swirling flakes of snow on the night Norah Henry delivers twins. The
storm, the like of which is rarely seen in Lexington, has caused the obstetrician to run
his car into a ditch leaving Norah and her babies in the hands of her orthopaedic
surgeon husband David and his practice nurse,
Caroline.

Norah has every faith in the abilities of her
capable, strong, dependable husband. She has never had any reason to doubt him; he is a
man that most women could only dream of marrying. She could therefore never have
anticipated that David was to perpetrate the ultimate betrayal, for whilst their son is
born a thriving, vital baby boy, their daughter has Down's syndrome – He
imagined her heart, the size of a plum and very possibly defective, and he thought of
the nursery, so carefully painted, with its soft animals and single crib. -
and David, believing that he has his wife's and indeed their family's best interests at
heart, tells Norah that their daughter has died on her way into the
world.

It would be utterly wrong to tell you any more. This
is a story that must be read, absorbed and enjoyed for what it is. What I will tell you
is this: to ensnare an imagination so completely is a skill that cannot be learned. Kim
Edwards is among just a handful of writers with the ability to lift you on a carpet of
make-believe and carry you away, enveloped in their gift like a grandmother's hug. When
you find a writer with such a talent, you must lock them inside your heart and mind and
throw away the key. The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a story of
secrets and lies that will keep you turning its pages, rapt in the weft of the plot
until the final paragraph.

There is not a moment or a word
within the covers of The Memory Keeper's Daughter to disappoint. Go
and buy it, I insist.

I thought this book would be a tough
act to follow. I always find 'the next book' disappointing after I have fallen in love
with a novel, even if it has won prizes (often if it has won prizes, actually). Still,
there are a few books that can sit on the shelf beside The Memory Keeper's
Daughter and manage to hold their heads up high in its company: The Household
Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide is such a book, as is The Life You Longed For by
Maribeth Fischer and Playing With The Moon by Eliza Graham all of which deal with the
subject of loss, in vastly differing ways. Similarly, although there are mixed reviews
about The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, I found it simply captivating. If
none of these titles appeal and you are looking for something along the same lines but
without the lump in your throat, perhaps Uphill All the Way by Sue Moorcroft would be a
lighter, but still satisfying, read.