The Sweetness of Forgetting

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of mental illness, death, and religious discrimination.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Hope’s viewing of the bakery transforms from a burden to an anchor and legacy. What aspects of her change of heart resonated most strongly with you?

2. How does The Sweetness of Forgetting differ from Harmel’s other World War II novels like The Book of Lost Names, particularly in its approach to trauma and healing?

3. Which moments between Rose and Hope as they navigate Rose’s Alzheimer’s disease struck you as most poignant?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. When have you experienced a revelation that shifted your understanding of your own background or identity, similar to Hope’s discovery of her Jewish heritage?

2. Which patterns of behavior or emotional responses have you seen passed down through generations in your own family or in others you know?

3. What did you think of Rose’s perspective that all religions worship the same God despite mankind creating differences?

4. Which character’s acts of

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