Karren Sandercock 's Reviews > The Sweetness of Forgetting

Hope McKenna-Smith is thirty-six, newly divorced and she has a twelve year old daughter Alice. Hope's life hasn’t been easy, two years ago her mother died from cancer, her husband cheated on her and now her beloved Mamie has dementia and is living in a nursing home.

Her ex-husband couldn’t see the point of Hope finishing her law degree, they moved to Cape Cod, in Massachusetts, when her mother was first diagnosed with cancer, and Hope takes over running the bakery and it’s not doing well financially. The North Star Bakery has been in the family for over sixty years, Hope finds comfort and purpose in making the tarts, pastries and baked goods that she grew up watching her French grandmother make.

Rose McKenna has Alzheimer’s, most of the time she’s confused and doesn’t recognize anyone. In a rare moment Rose’s mind is clear, the fog has been lifted and she wants to tell her granddaughter about her past and the secrets she has kept. Hope travels to Paris, with a list of names she doesn't recognize and tries to solve a seventy-year old mystery.

Rose was only a teenager when the Second World War started, her family were Jewish and her father believed the Germans would leave them alone. Rose has never told anyone about her childhood in Paris and this makes it very difficult for Hope to discover what happened to Mamie’s family. The narrative unfolds layer by layer and when Hope finds out a snippet of information or follows up on a clue and it feels like fate is on Hope's side. A powerful story about war, secrets, family, loss, regret, keeping a promises, love, survivors guilt, and the horror of the Holocaust.

I received a copy of the 10th Anniversary edition of The Sweetness of Forgetting from Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. I can see why this was the book that launched Kristin Harmel’s writing career, she found out what she does best and that’s write moving historical fiction. The characters in the book were all people you would like to meet, especially Rose, Hope, Ted, Gavin, Oliver, Jacob, Alain and even moody Alice. Included in the novel are recipes for the famous pastries the North Star Bakery made and their origins, the importance of Marmie's fairy tales and the relevance of stars. I highly recommend The Sweetness of Forgetting and five stars from me.