Hidden Letters of Velta B.

<p><b>FINALIST FOR THE OREGON BOOK AWARDS--KEN KESEY AWARD FOR FICTION</b><br><b> <br> Intimate vibrant and richly colored.--<i>Portland Monthly</i> <p/> [An] extraordinary feat of storytelling . . . A spellbinding novel as tough as it is beautiful. -- Helen Simonson author of <i>The Summer Before the War</i> <p/> A beautifully spun tale . . . An astonishing alchemy of history romance and fable. --<i>Kirkus Reviews</i> starred review</b> <p/> 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 Maris finds himself heir to an odd assortment of hidden letters 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. <p/> With humor heart and her characteristic luminous writing [and] affection for her characters (<i>New York Times</i>) 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. <p/><b>A captivating novel of secrets love and memory . . . This terrific novel knocked me out. --Janet Fitch author of <i>Paint It Black</i> <p/> A gift on par with Joanne Harris's <i>Chocolat . . . </i>Quirky ethereal hilarious and sorrowful. --Shelf Awareness</b></p>