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.
