The Hidden Letters of Velta B.

A Novel

Gina Ochsner

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9780544253124
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literature General
• Index: Literature

"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 finalist for the Oregon Book Awards Ken Kesey Award for Fiction, The Hidden Letters of Velta B. is "a captivating novel of secrets, love, and memory...This terrific novel knocked me out" (Janet Fitch, author of Paint It Black ). "Intimate, vibrant, and richly colored." — Portland Monthly "A gift on par with Joanne Harris's Chocolat... Quirky, ethereal, hilarious, and sorrowful." — Shelf Awareness "[An] extraordinary feat of storytelling...A spellbinding novel as tough as it is beautiful." —Helen Simonson, author of The Summer Before the War

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Epigraph
• Chapter One
• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three
• Chapter Four
• Chapter Five
• Chapter Six
• Chapter Seven
• Chapter Eight
• Chapter Nine
• Chapter Ten
• Chapter Eleven
• Chapter Twelve
• Acknowledgments
• Reading Group Guide
• Q&A with Gina Ochsner
• About the Author
• Connect with HMH