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Amy Reichert's New Novel Explores Friction Among Three Generations

Gallery Books

Dozens of writers and readers from around the region are in Waukesha today and tomorrow for the Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books. The 9th annual event plays out of the campus of UW-Waukesha and features a wide variety of writers from across genres.

Among them is Wisconsin novelist Amy Reichert.  Her latest book, The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go is a generational story.  At the center is Gina Zoberski, who is dealing with a mother in failing health and a teenage daughter in the midst of rebellion.   

"It is about women and how we interact with one another, especially at a familial level. And it's not simple most of the time," says Reichert.

And as with Reichert’s other works of fiction, such as The Coincidence of Coconut Cake, food and place play key roles.

"My first novel is set in Milwaukee and is sort of my favorite places [here], and I wanted to build off that since this is set in the same area," she explains. "And I had not really explored the Milwaukee Polish connection, which is so strong in our area and also really adds a lot of personality."

Reichert joined Lake Effect’s Audrey Nowakowski in the studio and explained the inspiration for her latest novel and how it deals with family, forgiveess, and how optimism can be taken too far:

Audrey is a WUWM host and producer for Lake Effect.