The Lines Between Us: A Novel

Description

In 1661 Madrid, Ana is still grieving the loss of her husband when her niece, sixteen-year-old Juliana, suddenly vanishes. Ana frantically searches the girl's room and comes across a diary. Journeying to southern Spain in the hope of finding her, Ana immerses herself in her niece's private thoughts. After a futile search in Seville, she comes to Juliana's final entries, and, discovering the horrifying reason for the girl's flight, abandons her search. In 1992 Missouri, in her deceased mother's home, Rachel finds a packet of letters, and a diary written by a woman named Juliana. Rachel's reserved mother has never mentioned these items, but Rachel recognizes the names Ana and Juliana: her mother uttered them on her deathbed. She soon becomes immersed in Juliana's diary, which recounts the young woman's journey to Mexico City and her life in a convent. As she learns the truth about Juliana's tragic family history, Rachel seeks to understand her connection to the writings-hoping that in finding those answers, she will somehow heal the wounds caused by her mother's lifelong reticence.

Rebecca D'Harlingue has done graduate work in Spanish literature, worked as a hospital administrator, and taught English as a Second Language to adults from all over the world. She shares her love of story both with preschoolers at a Head Start program and with the members of the book club she has belonged to for decades. D'Harlingue lives in Oakland, California, with her husband, Arthur, where they are fortunate to frequently spend time with their children and grandchildren.

2021 CIBA Chaucer Book Award First Place Winner 2021 Independent Press Awards Winner in New Fiction 2021 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorite in Historical Fiction 2021 15th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in Literary Fiction 2020 Best Book Awards Finalist in Best New Fiction 2020 International Book Awards Finalist in Best New Fiction 2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist in Historical Fiction "An ambitious, engaging novel that explores the power of finding personal connection to the past." -Kirkus Reviews "Author Rebecca D'Harlingue has crafted a truly beautiful work of epistolary fiction that takes us directly to the pens and minds of her characters. . . . Delving into Hispanic culture and history, this is clearly an incredibly well-researched novel with much to offer in its enthralling plotline, but also in an opportunity to expand our minds beyond typical family dramas. . . . What results is a highly personal, intelligent and emotive story that brings you closer to these women than you may think possible, ensuring that their tragedies and triumphs stay in your heart forever." -Readers' Favorite "This is a very well-written debut . . . and a fitting title incorporating the idea of generations of stories surviving within families." -Historical Novel Society "The Lines Between Us is a heartfelt and intelligent novel about love, family, and the ties that bind us to generations past." -Michael David Lukas, author of The Last Watchman of Old Cairo "Rebecca D'Harlingue weaves a complex and fascinating tale, ranging from 17th-century elite Madrid, to a Mexican convent, to modern Missouri-a tale of honor and deception, of hidden pain and, eventually, forgiveness." -Martha Hoffman, author of Raised to Rule: Educating Royalty at the Court of the Spanish Habsburgs, 1601-1634 "In The Lines Between Us, D'Harlingue has created a captivating debut novel filled with unique characters, exquisite details, and intriguing family secrets. A diary and letters furtively passed down three hundred years from grandmother to granddaughter transport readers back in time and move them forward as the mysteries are elegantly revealed. This book is about women's honor, overcoming heartache, and bravery." -Jill G. Hall, author of The Black Velvet Coat "In her meticulously researched epistolary novel The Lines Between Us, Rebecca D'Harlingue weaves a tale of familial love, brutality, and sacrifice during the seventeenth-century Spanish Inquisition. D'Harlingue's elegantly crafted, intriguing story spans the Old and New Worlds, exploring the oppression and power of generations of women bound together by a dark family secret-and their modern-day descendant's quest to uncover the truth about her ancestry." -Kristen Harnisch, international best-selling author of The Vintner's Daughter and The California Wife "Well-written and engaging, the tale rings true and affirms women's strength, desire to be heard, and fierce love of family." -Linda Stewart Henley, author of Estelle