The Lost Family: A Novel by Jenna Blum

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Harper for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blum's latest generational work spans from the 1960s to the 1980s.  Her beautiful prose is juxtaposed against culinary delights (trust me, her descriptions of food will make you want to throw a dinner party).

In 1965 Manhattan, Masha's is the talk of the town—not only because its exquisite faire and impeccable service, but because of the movie-star handsome owner and head chef, Peter Rashkin.  Peter is a survivor of Auschwitz, his wife (the restaurant's namesake) and two young daughters perished and he has resigned himself to a solitary life, even with all of the attention he attracts from the women who flock to the restaurant in hopes of snagging the city's most eligible bachelor.

An up-and-coming model, June Bouquet, catches Peter's eye and soon his heart. Although she is twenty years younger, they have a passionate relationship.  June becomes pregnancy and Peter ends up proposing thinking that perhaps this new beginning will help heal him from the horrors of his past.  Over the next twenty year, the family is eclipsed by Peter's grief and memories that overshadow them in life, loss, and love.

This beautiful story is about relationships, family, and grief.  Blum is artful and detailed in her writing that is so effortless and elegant.   Her study in loss is monumental and could overtake the narrative at any time, however she deftly navigates through the story than spans several years with ease.  What I loved about the book is how immersed the reader is in each decade through pop culture, fashion, and of course food!

Peter is a broken and flawed character that cannot escape the guilt and grief he has over the death of his wife and daughters.  The Lost Family could be considered a ghost story with a modern twist in that the family are forever living with the ghosts of Peter's past.  His life is overshadowed by the ghost of his wife and daughters.  Her memory smothers Peter, and June feels in constant competition with Masha. Their daughter also feels the effects, with the strife between her parents as well as the loss of a family she never knew.

This was my first book by Jenna Blum and I'm utterly enchanted.  She pens complex, interesting characters, provides gorgeous descriptions, and charges her writing with emotion and depth.