{"product_id":"9780544703049","title":"The Hidden Letters of Velta B.","description":"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFINALIST FOR THE OREGON BOOK AWARDS—KEN KESEY AWARD FOR FICTION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e  “Intimate, vibrant, and richly colored.”—\u003ci\u003ePortland Monthly\u003c\/i\u003e “[An] extraordinary feat of storytelling . . . A spellbinding novel as tough as it is beautiful.” — Helen Simonson, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Summer Before the War\u003c\/i\u003e   “A beautifully spun tale . . . An astonishing alchemy of history, romance, and fable.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e   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. With humor, heart, and her characteristic “luminous writing [and] affection for her characters” (\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e), 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.  \u003cb\u003e“A captivating novel of secrets, love, and memory . . . This terrific novel knocked me out.” —Janet Fitch, author of \u003ci\u003ePaint It Black\u003c\/i\u003e   “A gift on par with Joanne Harris’s \u003ci\u003eChocolat . . . \u003c\/i\u003eQuirky, ethereal, hilarious, and sorrowful.” —Shelf Awareness\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Houghton Mifflin Harcourt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47018359390448,"sku":"9780544703049","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780544703049_p0.jpg?v=1763712474","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780544703049","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}