The Shape of the Eye is a memoir by George Estreich about his daughter Laura who was born with Down syndrome.
It is thoughtful and moving, normalizing something that seems foreign to so many of us. Though a poet, Estreich is not sentimental but honest, telling his story with realism and hope that developed over time.
It captures the initial devastation and gradual transformation of a family given a difficult diagnosis which revealed that their daughter’s almond shaped eyes were not simply a sign of her Japanese ancestry.
Estreich was a stay at home dad first for oldest daughter Ellie and then for Laura, while wife Theresa worked as a tenured professor. Ellie was loving and accepting of her sister from the start and Estreich dedicated the book to her.
The memoir opens your eyes to the many challenges Down syndrome presents from the health issues like the damaged heart Laura was born with which required open heart surgery, eating issues, speech and motor challenges and general acceptance by society. If not for the great dedication of the family thinking ahead to Laura’s future to make her as independent as possible, such a life could be overwhelming. Dealing with specialist after specialist creates a whole new set of expectations for child development. Simple things like getting your child to eat become triumphs.
Estreich does not just focus on Laura but her place in the family, the history of his family, the history of John Langdon Down and the meaning of 'different' - tying it all together.
Though Laura is now in middle school and Ellie in high school, the novel
chronicles Laura's birth thru kindergarten with an afterword updating on the
present.
The memoir is a reminder that we are all human and unique, each facing our own challenges navigating life. Hopefully, The Shape of the Eye can inspire those who read it to take our differences and approach others with a spirit of acceptance and love.