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    The Memory Child
    The Memory Child
    The Memory Child
    Audiobook6 hours

    The Memory Child

    Written by Steena Holmes

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    USA Best Book Award Finalist in General Fiction

    When Brian finds out that his wife, Diane, is pregnant, he is elated. He’s been patiently waiting for twelve years to become a father. But Diane has always been nervous about having children because of her family’s dark past. The timing of the pregnancy also isn’t ideal—Diane has just been promoted, and Brian is being called away to open a new London office for his company.

    Fast-forward one year: being a mother has brought Diane a sense of joy that she’d never imagined and she’s head over heels for her new baby, Grace. But things are far from perfect: Brian has still not returned from London, and Diane fears leaving the baby for even a moment. As unsettling changes in those around Diane began to emerge, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems.

    A woman’s dark past collides head-on with her mysterious present in this surreal and gripping family drama.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateApr 29, 2014
    ISBN9781480585362
    The Memory Child
    Author

    Steena Holmes

    Steena Holmes is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of titles including Saving Abby, Stillwater Rising, and The Memory Child. Named to the “20 Best Books by Women in 2015” list by Good Housekeeping and Redbook, Steena won the National Indie Excellence Award in 2012 for Finding Emma as well as the USA Book News Award for The Word Game in 2015. Steena lives in Calgary, Alberta, and is a self-proclaimed “travelholic” who can’t resist a good cup of coffee. To find out more about her books and her love of traveling, you can visit her website at www.steenaholmes.com or follow her journeys on Instagram @authorsteenaholmes.

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    Reviews for The Memory Child

    3.5/5

    33 ratings5 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I definitely enjoyed this book about a professional woman who is pregnant after 12 years of marriage. Her husband is thrilled and she has mixed feelings. Some of the chapters are told before the birth of the baby when she is a strong woman who is very involved in her job and other chapters are told after the baby is born when she is very fragile physically and mentally. I was very caught up in the story and couldn't put it down. I thought that the story was intense and very emotional - and YES - it did make me cry.
    • 3/5
      I am not sure how I felt about this story. It was certainly tragic and included some intrigue and an intended ‘big reveal’ at the end, but the author gave away too many hints in the early chapters so the big reveal was actually quite predictable. I wish there had been more mystery so the element of surprise could have been more satisfying. But it’s nonetheless an interesting story that sheds light on the human brain and its mysterious disorders.As a side note, I believe there’s an unintended error in chapters 1-2, where in one passage, the baby is said to be a 1-month old newborn, and not long after (on the same day in the story), a passage implies that the baby is a few months old. I suspect the author changed her mind while writing it, and forgot to correct one of the references.
    • 3/5
      A week ago, I picked up Steena Holmes’ new book The Memory Child and I finished reading it in two days. A quarter of the way through the book, I had already figured out the plotline, but I could not put the book down because there is always a chance I could be wrong (even though I wasn’t) and I just needed to know if my suspicions were true! The synopsis of this book from Goodreads is as follows: “When Brian finds out that his wife, Diane, is pregnant, he is elated. He's been patiently waiting for twelve years to become a father. But Diane has always been nervous about having children because of her family's dark past. The timing of the pregnancy also isn't ideal - Diane has just been promoted, and Brian is being called away to open a new London office for his company. Fast-forward one year: being a mother has brought Diane a sense of joy that she'd never imagined and she's head over heels for her new baby, Grace. But things are far from perfect: Brian has still not returned from London, and Diane fears leaving the baby for even a moment. As unsettling changes in those around Diane began to emerge, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. A woman's dark past collides head-on with her mysterious present in this surreal and gripping family drama.” This is not the best, most “gripping” book I have ever read, but I did enjoy it as a quick read. Diane is a strange character and has had difficulties in her past, which become glaringly obvious to explain her current state of mind. The storyline is interesting and intriguing and if you don’t have an over analytical mind while you read like I do, you will be surprised at the end; however, it is my opinion that Holmes gives away too many clues during the book that I picked up on and therefore was not shocked at the end. Every detail a writer puts in a book is important and not to be overlooked, and I found myself putting together puzzle pieces to solve the mystery of Brian & Diane way before the book was finished. I give this book 3 stars (out of 5) and would recommend it to someone who is looking for a quick, intriguing read.A copy of the book was provided for an honest review, there was no monetary compensation.
    • 5/5
      Having a child changes everything. But it can’t change the past. It doesn’t bring a husband home when he’s miles away. And it certainly doesn’t make going out to work as a busy professional any easier. There’s a secret waiting in Steena Holmes’ novel, The Memory Child, where go-getter Diane has fallen deeply in love with her baby, the wonderful Nina stands ready with help and support, and husband Brian is due home any day. Ghosts of childhood haunt Diane’s hopes, and fears for her small child’s future gradually verge toward obsession, its promise shrouded in the mists of this strange new life called motherhood. Diane's concerns and longing are made vividly real to the reader with clearly voiced first-person narration. Meanwhile Brian tells his own tale, in chapters nicely interspersed. The author renders both voices convincingly, balancing Brian's eagerness for parenthood against Diane’s initial reluctance, and leaving the reader convinced that love will win the day. This novel will haunt the reader by its end. Truths break through the mist of hope, guessed, avoided, and then made clear. The pain of love becomes the healing of love. And a truly lovely story leaves you awed. Great voices, wonderful emotions, perfect timing and a pleasingly complex plot make this a novel that’s easy to recommend, enthralling to read, and difficult to put down.Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy to enjoy prior to the author’s blog tour, and I’m offering my honest review.
    • 4/5
      Brian and Diane seem to have the perfect relationship. They've been married for 12 years and both enjoy their chosen careers. Brian's in a job that requires him to travel a minimum of 30 weeks each year. Diane is a workaholic in a career that she loves. Her hard work has definitely paid off because she's just been named CEO of her company. Although Brian and Diane have discussed having a child, Diane is wary of pregnancy due to her mother's history with postpartum psychoses. A pregnancy at this time in her life is the last thing she wants. Brian is ecstatic at the notion of becoming a father. Can this loving couple resolve their issues and make the transition from a loving couple to a loving family of three?I found The Memory Child to be a fast-paced read. I kept turning the pages to find out how things end. The story is revealed in alternating versions as told by Diane and Brian. I had some difficulty at first resolving the two different Dianes portrayed in the story. The antepartum Diane is a headstrong (yet not stubborn), resolute and a hardworking career woman and loving wife. The postpartum Diane is emotionally fragile and seems to be overly afraid of everything. However, as I continued to read the two seemingly different Dianes gradually merged into one.The Memory Child is not a happy story, but it did provide a fascinating glimpse into postpartum depression and the more severe postpartum psychosis. I really liked and came to admire the antepartum Diane and Brian, and empathized with their postpartum difficulties. I wasn't overly thrilled with the nurse/nanny character Nina but came to like her by the end. The Memory Child has been described as a gripping family drama and it is exactly that. If you enjoy well-written, intense stories about survival mixed with family drama and romance (yes it is possible to have romance even after 12 years of marriage), then you'll definitely want to add The Memory Child to your reading list. You may also want to keep a box of tissues handy.