From a very poor family background and against the odds, hard work and determination have turned David Henry into a successful doctor, who wants nothing more than that his own wife be happy and trouble free. Her premature labour one snowy night brings him not one baby but, unexpectedly, twins – involved in the birth, he realises straight away that his daughter has Downs Syndrome. Having experienced what it is like to live with his own frail sister dying, David wants at all costs to protect his wife from the grief his mother had suffered. His split second decision to pretend that his daughter died at birth is one that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, the nurse to whom he has entrusted his daughter refuses to leave her in an institution, and instead brings the little girl up as her own.

The novel deals with the pain and loneliness of an essentially good man who has to live with a lie that has torn his family apart. The arrogance of deciding what is best for someone else is a theme which runs through the book, as well as the issues of prejudice, social expectation, identity and resilience.

Photography (the memory keeper) is cleverly used as a metaphor for controlling the lives of those around you. What is a human life worth; how can you judge its value? Perhaps simply being alive and happy should be enough.