The Baker of Lost Memories

As Lena grows up in 1960s Brooklyn, she dreams of becoming a baker like her mother, Anya, who worked in the family’s bakery in pre–World War II Lodz, Poland, alongside her husband, Josef, and their firstborn daughter, Ruby. When the Nazis occupy Poland, Anya and Josef survive persecution and internment, but Ruby does not. They start a new life in the United States and rarely talk about the past with Lena, who wonders about the sister she never knew. Although Lena’s parents provide for her every need, they are emotionally distant, and when she can’t confide in her parents, she turns to her best friend, Pearl. When Pearl disappears, Lena goes on with her life and attends college, falls in love, gets married, and even opens her own bakery. She still hopes that one day Pearl will be back in her life. The next few years bring heartache, loss, and her marriage’s collapse as Lena finally starts to understand her parents and that their past is ever present.