Tuesday Intro: The Lost Wife

"He deliberately dressed for the occasion, his suit pressed and his shoes shined. While shaving, he turned each cheek carefully to the mirror to ensure he hadn't missed a single whisker. Earlier that afternoon, he had even bought a lemon-scented pomade to smooth his few remaining curls. 

He had only one grandson, one grandchild for that matter, and had been looking forward to this wedding for months now. And although he had met the bride only a few times, he liked her from the first. She was bright and charming, quick to laugh, and possessed a certain old-world elegance. He hadn't realized what a rare quality that was until he sat there now staring at her, his grandson clasping her hand. 

Even now, as he walked into the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner, he felt as though, seeing the young girl, he had been swept back into another time..."

 This is a novel that starts at the end with Josef meeting his long lost wife. It rewinds through history (WWII in Europe), before eventually delivering the reader back to the present. Ideally, all four pages of the first chapter should be shared here. But I'll leave you, instead, with the final three lines.

"Do you remember me now?" he asked, trembling.
She looked at him again, as if giving weight and bone to a ghost.
"Lenka, it's me," he said. "Josef. Your husband."

The Lost Wife
by Alyson Richman

I purchased this book after reading Jill's review. A few chapters in, I'm totally invested in Josef and Lenka's story. Does this one appeal to you?

Tuesday Intros is hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea.