The Memory Maker

A perfumer who recaptures lost moments unearths her family’s hidden history in an emotional novel by a USA Today bestselling author about memory, loss, war, and the secrets held across generations. Letta is a perfumer who crafts singular scents designed to evoke memories for her clients: the aged oak bar in a favorite pub, a childhood ice rink, or even a whiff of apples that recalls a late wife’s presence. But Letta’s unique profession becomes personal when she decides to create a scent memory for her beloved grandmother, Violette, who’s suffering with dementia. With the help of Evan Campbell, a wine importer and client, Letta travels to Domaine Dupuis in Burgundy, where Violette’s family lived and worked until World War II and Nazi occupation changed everything. Soon Letta realizes just how little she knows about her own family’s life—and that there’s a reason no one spoke of those final days in France. As unimaginable choices, immeasurable guilt, and hidden secrets come to light, Letta must decide: Will uncovering the truth bring new pain or a reckoning that could finally offer long-awaited peace to the people she loves? Though it’s her job to bring the past into the present, some things might be best lost to time. © 2026 by Gian Schwehr, all rights reserved.