PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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THE MOMMA PUZZLE
While The Momma Puzzle certainly doesn’t shy away from pain, Hilary manages to weave a considerable amount of lightness and joy into her story – at times it feels like sorting through old family photo albums with a dear friend.
In deeply meaningful, lyrical prose, author Hilary Plattner leads us on a journey through her own history and heartache, and to the peace she finds in finally letting go of grief and holding onto love.
June 2, 2026
Apprentice House Press
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PRAISE FOR THE MOMMA PUZZLE:
"Her mother was vibrant, complex, and gone too soon. Now, decades after her mother’s suicide, Hilary Plattner is finally ready to confront the ultimate mystery: why? What follows is a daughter’s relentless, decades-long investigation, leading her through forgotten letters and fading memories to piece together the life of the woman she called "Momma." Part detective story, part lyrical memoir, The Momma Puzzle is an unforgettable journey into grief, legacy, and the enduring love that finally brings peace." —Kathryn Dare, City Book Review
“Hilary Plattner has written a wonderful memoir, which reads more like a novel and detective story. In it, she works to solve the mystery of her mother’s suicide, as well as Plattner’s own obsession with it. She rummages through memories, interviews relatives, and reviews decades of letters that reveal “momma’s” perceptive and often lifeaffirming nature. Plattner is a skillful guide. She ultimately solves the mystery, at least to her own satisfaction, as to why her mother would choose to leave life and her young children behind.” —Alex Marshall, author of How Cities Work and Beneath the Metropolis
“The book’s archival method—reproducing letters, Christmas cards, newspaper clippings—creates a feeling of intimacy while foregrounding what cannot be known. A painter’s business card, dress designs clipped from magazines…accumulate texture, but the most powerful passages acknowledge the limits of documentation. Suicide, the author writes, makes people ‘disappear’…” —Kirkus Reviews
“If you’ve ever felt like you didn't quite finish the puzzle of a loved one's life, or if you simply appreciate a beautifully told story of complexity and resilience, this book is a must-read. It’s a comforting, affirming reminder that seeking understanding is a crucial part of healing, and that even the most difficult endings can lead to a deeper appreciation of the beginning. The Momma Puzzle is an absolutely lovely and illuminating memoir, and I highly recommend adding it to your reading list.” —Los Angeles Book Review
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ABOUT THE MOMMA PUZZLE:
In February 1968, Hilary Plattner’s mother died by suicide.
It was the height of the Vietnam war and Hilary was six years old.
Years later, in an attempt to understand the mystery of her mother’s death, she studies the items her mother left behind: photographs and a file of papers from the 1950s when Momma worked as a Foreign Service secretary in Saigon.
Hilary pores over letters written to her future father, her grandmother, and to her mother’s best friend.
She dreams of burning the pile of documents in a bonfire, and simply being done with it all.
But she continues her investigation and eventually discovers an important piece of the puzzle: her mother’s medical records from a psychiatric hospital. Ultimately, she forms an image of who Momma was —and finds a way to release herself from the hold of her family history.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Hilary Plattner holds a Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing from Columbia University and has taught writing at The New School. Previously, she founded and directed Brooklyn Writers, a community-based writing program.
Her fiction and poetry have been published in numerous literary journals, including Allegro, Cider Press Review, Fence, GSU Review, Gulf Coast, Synkroniciti, and The Ledge.
She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.
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