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.

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.

Excerpt

“Brooklyn Girl’s Bake Shoppe,” he read, turning over the card with pink lettering in his hand. “That’s a good name. You were born in Brooklyn.”

“That was Luke’s idea. He liked the sound of it,” mumbled Lena, barely glancing his way. She was still thinking of her mother’s lukewarm response to the business venture. No matter what Lena did, no matter how many accomplishments she had, it seemed like she could do no good in her mother’s eyes. It hadn’t been her idea to work in a bakery, much less own one. She preferred to bake as a hobby, the occasional challah for the Sabbath or some sugar cookies as an after-dinner treat. Knowing how much effort the project would entail, how as a business owner she would rarely have a day off from work, never a quiet moment to herself to watch a movie or lean against the windowsill, feeling the sun on her neck as she sat reading a book, she was hesitant. No, in the back of her mind there would always be the bakery, pondering how much of a profit they had made during the week or worrying about running out of the month’s inventory for sugar. She knew this, and yet she had agreed, taken the savings, her parents’ savings, invested it all as a down payment, not for the home it was intended for, but for a business. A business she never really wanted.

And still she allowed it. She did it, took all the risks, even though something inside her told her that the bakery was doomed to fail. She did it. She did it all for Luke. And maybe a little for her mother too.

“You won’t say it, will you?” she reacted, feeling both her voice and her blood pressure rise. Lena thrust her hand into the glass showcase.

“Mommy, try one of these.” Lena pulled out a tray of chocolate rugelach and, forgetting about the tissue paper, plucked one out.

“Here,” she repeated as she felt her hand trembling, “try one. I know they’re your favorite.”

Lena felt her mother’s eyes on her as she hesitated before, with two fingers, Anya took the delicacy. A thought came to her. She must think me a crazy person now, and maybe, at that moment, she was.

Anya nibbled the crisp edge of the rugelach before popping it into her mouth. When she finished chewing, she licked the chocolate crumbs off her fingers.

“It’s delicious,” she said, but her expression remained the same. Indifferent.

“Do you see?” said Lena, conscious that her voice was higher than she’d like. “I can bake. I can bake every bit as well as you. Every bit as well.” She stopped, unwilling to cross the line. But her parents already knew; she could tell by the quick glances they exchanged. She could tell by the sadness that now veiled their eyes. Josef released a mournful sigh before speaking.

“Lena, don’t you know you are everything to us? Don’t you know that Mommy and me, we are both very proud of you?”

Seeing the tears come to her father’s eyes triggered something in Lena so strong that she had to run to the back of the bakery as she felt the sobs rise from deep within her, exploding to the surface. She hoped that her parents wouldn’t follow, wouldn’t tell her she was being too emotional, just an immature, stupid girl.

Once more Lena found herself yearning for him to tell her that she was smart, capable, even beautiful. She needed Luke to assuage her fears, to affirm that, yes, all her dreams would come true. That she was better than all the rest.

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About the Author

Shirley Russak Wachtel is the author of A Castle in Brooklyn. She is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Shirley holds a doctor of letters degree from Drew University and for the past thirty-five years has taught English literature at Middlesex College in Edison, New Jersey. Her podcast, EXTRAordinary People, features inspiring individuals who have overcome obstacles to make a difference. The mother of three grown sons and grandmother to three precocious granddaughters, she currently resides in East Brunswick, New Jersey, with her husband, Arthur. For more information, visit www.shirleywachtel.com.