The Hidden Letters of Velta B. A Novel

Gina Ochsner

eBook - 2016

"A beautifully spun tale" set in a tiny town in Latvia—"an astonishing alchemy of history, romance, and fable" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Maris was born knowing things: His very large, very special ears enable him to hear the secrets of the dead, as well as the memories that haunt his Latvian hometown. As a boy, he finds himself heir to an odd assortment of hidden letters, from which he would weave a story that could finally expose—and maybe even patch—the holes in the fabric of his family and their town. With humor, heart, and her characteristic "luminous writing [and] affection for her characters," Gina Ochsner creates an intimate, hopeful portrait of a fascinating town in all its complications... and charm. From the onset of World War II through the cold shock of independence, we see how, despite years of distrust, a community can come through love and loss to the joy of understanding (The New York Times). A... more