The Hidden Letters Of Velta B.

Gina Ochsner writes with poetry, grace, and wisdom in her unusual novel, “The Letters of Velta B.” It is an engaging look into the struggles and persecution (and horrors )that the Latvian people faced under Soviet occupation, and afterwards. At the same time, there was a fantastical nature to the story as a young child, because of his extra large ears, hears the dead, particularly though his family’s work digging graves. Although some may find that dark, I found comfort in that, as in her imaginative way she affirms the world of the spiritual. She weaves a variety of faith traditions throughout the novel, which was refreshing in a world increasingly antagonistic to the positives that faith can offer our souls.

The author crafted a very unique story that the includes many folk sayings and remedies. Her father was a cemetery caretaker in Latvia. The culture of the early 1910s was interspersed with the main story in the 1990s. This is a story where I missed the characters for weeks

Unusual and fabulous although it is sometimes difficult to follow and keep up with. I recommend it and the time it takes to digest it.

Kafka-esque

From a critically acclaimed fiction writer comes the moving story of a boy with extraordinary ears who — with the help of a cache of his great-grandmother’s letters — brings healing to a town burdened by the sins of its past.Young Maris has been summoned to his mother’s bedside as she nears the end of her life; she feels she must tell him her version of their family history, the story of his early life, and the ways in which he changed the lives of others. Maris was born with what some might call a blessing and others might deem a curse: 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. Nestled in the woodlands on the banks of the Aiviekste River, their town suffered the ravages of war, then the cold shock of independence. As a boy, Maris found himself heir to an odd assortment of hidden letters; a school project provided the chance to share them, forcing the town to hear the truth from the past and face what it meant for their future.   With "luminous writing [and] affection for her characters" (New York Times), Gina Ochsner creates an intimate, hopeful portrait of a fascinating town in all its complications and charm. She shows us how, despite years of distrust, a community can come through love and loss to the joy of understanding — enabled by a great-grandmother’s legacy, a flood, and a boy with very special ears.--My thoughts. Well I wanted to like this book so much. I stuck with it, but I am not sure why. I didn't connect with any character, and the whole time it was just so-so. I adore the cover, I loved the blurb but it just dragged for me. Descriptions of the area are what got me, I LOVE that. Words like that I gobble up every time. I wish I had liked this book more, but it wasn't for me.

As a huge fan of magical realism, I knew I would enjoy this book. And I did. It's really unusual, sharing history and lore of Latvia, all seamlessly blended into the wonderful story of a boy with huge furry ears who can hear secrets and memories. Even more odd, these can be the musings of the dead and the living. He is called to the bedside of his dying mother, and she reveals history of the family, things Maris, the boy, was unaware of. There is a secret cache of letters, his grandmother's, that reveal secrets of the entire community that figure predominately into the story as well. This is a tale that jumps around, from one time period and one group of people to another, and until you pick up the cadence of the author, it's a bit hard to follow. All in all, it's an entertaining and thoroughly original book about family love, lore, superstition and history..

Inara, a dying mother in her last days, shares stories with her son Maris, of their family and the people who live in their small Latvian town. Memories dug up like the plots in the cemetery her family has been caretaking, are laid out to be deciphered along with hidden letters her grandmother Velta wrote to her grandfather during WWII after the Soviets invaded their small town and incarcerated him. Maris is an unusual young man; he has huge ears and can hear things others can’t. His mind is extremely creative and he helps his mother understand the letters that she found hidden years before: but the messages they hold will change their town.This book is like a piece of art, intricate full of depth and an interestingly written mystery. It did take me awhile to get into the tone of the story. Its murkiness seeped through every page, almost like a gothic fairy tale set in a dark forest and yet it’s starts in current time. I may have to go back and read it again; because there are things I missed the first time through. Gina’s characters are intriguing and not all they appear to be on the surface. Definite 4 stars.

The Hidden Letters of Velta B is narrated in the voice of a mother on her death bed explaining to her adult son stories that he didn't remember or understand from his childhood. The novel is difficult to read, because (as is true of spoken stories) things are out of order, and there are tangents and bits of stories that seem to go nowhere. While the prose is lovely, the plot is too disjointed for me.If you love a gorgeously written slightly offbeat story, you will like this one. If you love a tightly woven story with a fast paced, evenly unfolding plot, this is not the book for you.