Little A Publishing Archives - Over The River PR

**From the author of A Castle in Brooklyn comes an epic novel spanning decades about the broken bonds of family, memories of war, and redemption and hope in the face of heartbreaking loss.**

Advance Praise for The Baker of Lost Memories:

“The Baker of Lost Memories is a compelling family drama, slow-boiling its way to redemption and second chances.” ―Foreword Reviews

“A poignant story of the power of memory and family, Wachtel’s narrative moves easily through time and from mother to daughter.” – Library Journal

Fans of generational stories by Lynda Cohen Loigman (The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern, The Matchmaker’s Gift), Jennifer Rosner (The Yellow Bird Sings) and Georgia Hunter (We Are The Lucky Ones) will devour Shirley Russak Wachtel’s new moving family saga, THE BAKER OF LOST MEMORIES (June 1, 2025; Little A). Wachtel is the critically acclaimed author of A Castle In Brooklyn, and she is back with another unforgettable novel that explores generational trauma, the complex relationships between immigrant parents and American-born children, resilience and redemption. THE BAKER OF LOST MEMORIES is a beautifully written poignant historical novel set in Brooklyn in the 1960s and 70s.

“The stories I write are about families,” Wachtel explains. “When I wrote A Castle In Brooklyn, I wanted to explore the traumatic effects of the Holocaust on survivors trying to build a new life in the United States. With THE BAKER OF LOST MEMORIES, I focus on the quiet reverberations of loss in the second generation. Family is the nucleus of life’s experience.”

It can take a lifetime to turn painful memories of the past into hope for the future.

Growing up in 1960s Brooklyn, Lena wants to be a baker just like her mother was back in Poland prior to World War II. But questions about those days, and about a sister Lena never even knew, are ignored with solemn silence. It’s as if everything her parents left behind was a subject never to be broached.

The one person in whom Lena can confide is her best friend, Pearl. When she suddenly disappears from Lena’s life, Lena forges ahead: college, love and marriage with a wonderful man, the dream of owning a bakery becoming a reality, and the hope that someday Pearl will return to share in Lena’s happiness―and to be there for her during the unexpected losses to come.

Only when Lena discovers the depth of her parents’ anguish, and a startling truth about her own past, can they rebuild a family and overcome the heart-wrenching memories that have torn them apart.