The Hidden Letters of Velta B.: A Novel

“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

© 2018 Mariner Books (Ebook): 9780544253124

Release date

Ebook: 1 June 2018