Lifelines

February 15, 2019
When her long-estranged ex-husband--a still-handsome German avant-garde musician--comes back into her life, things get complicated for Louise.Louise, a 59-year-old visual artist in Eugene, Oregon, has two daughters, one from each of her marriages. Elke was born when Louise was an art student in Dusseldorf in the early 1970s. Not long after the birth, Louise's mother fell ill, so she took the baby and went home. Since things were going badly at the time with her new husband, Dieter, Louise ended up staying in the U.S. By the time Dieter showed up for a visit, she was dating Richard, a professor of urban design, and a messy period with both men on the scene ensued. But that was ages ago. She married Richard and had another daughter, Margot; Dieter ended up immigrating to New York. One day she gets a call from Elke, now 35, asking her to return to Germany to attend the funeral of her grandmother, Louise's ex-mother-in-law, with whom she was once close. Her other daughter happens to be in Europe at this time as well, touring with her experimental band, Sky Mall. Impulsively, Louise decides to go--leaving a jealous Richard stewing at home with a list of chores involving Louise's long-term conceptual art project. The novel moves between Dusseldorf and Eugene, between the early 1970s and 2008, with richly textured depictions of these times and places. Louise's student years were the era of the Baader-Meinhof gang and the disastrous '72 Olympics in Germany; the Grateful Dead and Nixon's resignation in the U.S.; and changing sexual mores in both cultures that led to difficult situations like the one she is still dealing with 35 years later. Another important theme is the burden of World War II on the German spirit, further complicated in Dieter's family by secrets and lies. Diehl's debut confidently handles these cultural and historical complexities and is equally fluent in depicting the concerns and processes of visual artists and musicians.A serious, nuanced portrait of a family of creative people as their decisions, large and small, play out in their lives.

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April 15, 2019
Diehl’s elegant debut weaves together the story of a woman whose past and present collide when she attends the funeral of her former mother-in-law in Germany. Louise, who left home in Oregon to study art in Düsseldorf in 1971, fell in love with Dieter Hinterkopf, a German drummer. It was a heady and tumultuous affair, both of them drunk on their artistic connection and youthful feelings of invincibility. But when Louise gets pregnant, the relationship grows rockier, and she leaves, bringing baby Elke home. The longer she stayed in Oregon, the more “the days piled up into a choice.” Louise goes on to build a solid life, get married, and have a second daughter. Then, in 2008, Elke asks Louise to attend Dieter’s mother’s funeral. But as Louise braces herself to confront old relationships, she finds that the trip teaches her just as much, if not more, about her new ones. Diehl finds the bittersweet heartache of retrospection, and compassionately explores how art helps heal. This complex, intimate story memorably portrays what it looks like to reckon with one’s choices and to feel both uncertainty and peace. Agent: Marya Spence, Janklow & Nesbit Associates.

May 1, 2019
American painter Louise fell in love with German musician Dieter when she was an art student in D�sseldorf in 1971. Their romance led to marriage and a baby, Elke. For several months Louise lived with Dieter's mother in rural Germany, uncovering secrets from his past. In 2008, they have been separated for decades. Louise lives in Oregon with her husband, Richard, and their daughter Margot is on tour with her band in Europe. When Dieter's mother dies, Elke asks Louise to accompany her to the funeral in Germany, which ignites reflections on her connections with the country and her family. Diehl's narrative moves between 2008 and the 1970s, tracing the moments in the characters' lives that led them down divergent paths. Shifting perspectives among Louise, Dieter, Elke, Margot, and Richard, Diehl illustrates the ways that history imprints on the future. At times her metaphors can feel heavy-handed, but her use of history as a recurring theme is deft. This is a strong debut novel from a writer with a talent for character building.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)