How do partners in long-lasting relationships live together without driving each other up a wall? After fifteen years of marriage of John, a dashing European, a Latvian refugee and a physics PhD and Michaele, a fast-talking American college student, their love for each other does not assuage the trauma John experienced as a child during World War II; nor does it help Michaele understand her husband's unwavering devotion to every aspect of Latvian culture, particularly his passion for the dark, intense rye bread of his birthplace. Michaele feels like an outsider in her own relationship, unable to touch a core piece of her husband's being. So, as John realizes his dream of opening a rye bread bakery, Michaele embarks on a fascinating journey. Delving into history and traveling across Europe with John, she excavates poignant stories of war, privation, and resilience and realizes at last that rye bread represents everything about John's homeland that he loved and lost. How do the stories we live and the stories we inherit play out in our relationships? How do individuals learn to tolerate ethnic, religious, and national differences? The Rye Bread Marriage is a beautifully told, often humorous, love story about the messiness of spending a lifetime with another human being. Michaele Weissman reminds us that every relationship is a mystery and a miracle.

"When the author's Latvia-born husband, John, opens a company marketing rye bread, the author embarks on a European journey in search of John's origins, excavating poignant stories of war, privation, and resilience"-- Provided by publisher.