The Sweetness of Forgetting

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses antisemitism and the Holocaust.

The Sweetness of Forgetting examines the themes of inheritance and family legacy through tangible as well as intangible aspects. The material manifestation of family tradition on Hope’s maternal side is the North Star Bakery, which is not simply a source of income but an emotional anchor and an expression of her grandmother’s family inheritance. Hope learns that Rose’s mother’s family were Ashkenazi Jews. The recipes made in Cecile’s family’s bakery represent centuries of a rich cultural heritage which she passes on to her daughter, and when she learns the extent of that history, Hope has a new respect for her grandmother’s life’s work. The Star Pies and a handful of other recipes incorporated into the North Star’s menu also illustrate the blending of faiths that represents Rose’s spiritual beliefs and the physical and emotional shelter that the Haddam family, Parisian Muslims, offer Rose. Knowing that the offerings of the North Star bakery reflect this exchange gives the business a new emotional significance to Hope; losing it will feel like she is losing Rose all over again.

The novel also explores the legacy of trauma and how emotional wounds can be transmitted intergenerationally.