Starred review from November 18, 2013
In Rieger’s clever and funny debut—an epistolary novel told through memos, e-mails, and letters—Sophie Diehl is a criminal lawyer, working for a law firm in the fictional state of Narragansett in New England, similar to Massachusetts. As she says herself, “I like that most of my clients are in jail. They can’t get to me; I can only get to them.” One of the firm’s managing partners asks her to do an intake interview for Mia Meiklejohn Durkheim, daughter of one of the firm’s most important clients, whose husband served her with divorce papers at a local restaurant. Sophie reluctantly acquiesces and has to learn how to handle a divorce case (rather than a criminal one), while juggling family dynamics, nasty interoffice politics, and the ups and downs of her own romantic life, all as the year 2000 approaches. Lovers of the epistolary style will find much to appreciate. Rieger’s tone, textured structure, and lively voice make this debut a winner. Agent: Kathy Robbins, Robbins Office.
February 15, 2014
Sophie Diehl is a criminal lawyer, and she prefers working with the incarcerated. However, filling in for a vacationing colleague results in her handling a divorce case--and not just any divorce case but that of a major client's daughter, Mia Meiklejohn Durkheim. Sophie works through this assignment while simultaneously trying to come to terms with her complicated love life and her own divorced parents. VERDICT This debut novel is written in what the author calls "Epistolary 2.0" through emails, memos, and the occasional note. While this concept is intriguing, the legal documents on Mia's divorce bogs down the pace. Though these items are easily skipped without losing the story line, they are numerous enough to disrupt the flow of the novel. At a certain point, one wonders why these incredibly detailed legal agreements are in the book at all. At the same time, Sophie becomes rather whiny when her family life and love life are not perfect, though there's really not much wrong to begin with. The only saving grace is the character of divorcee Mia, who manages to be funny and real.--Brooke Bolton, North Manchester P.L., IN
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