Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a theologian in Germany who was a key voice against the Nazi government, which led to his imprisonment and execution. That’s pretty heavy for a historical romance! How did you balance the weight of all that without losing the unique focus of your book?
I felt it was important to give the reader a full picture of Bonhoeffer’s life from 1942-1944, crucial years, both in the war and his life. That included detailing his work as a double agent for the German resistance and his relationships with key players in the conspiracy against Adolf Hitler.
But I tried not to weight the story with lengthy paragraphs about the inner workings of German Military Intelligence. What’s so remarkable about Dietrich and Maria’s love story is how it unfolded against the backdrop of this tumultuous period in his life.
That he would find love in the midst of the most danger he’d ever undertaken, that she would fall in love with him in the midst of the most difficult season of her life (the loss of her father and brother), speaks to the complexities of the heart and the surprising gifts of God.
Does reading My Dearest Dietrich give us a more well-rounded view of Bonhoeffer than we had before?
Absolutely! As one reviewer said about the novel, “It’s easy to reduce heroes to dusty portraits in an imaginary ‘martyrs hall of fame.’” We know Bonhoeffer as a brilliant theologian, a man who believed God called him to active resistance against the Nazi government, and as someone who paid the ultimate price for his actions and beliefs. When I started writing the novel, I was a little in awe at the prospect of telling the love story of the author of The Cost of Discipleship.
But the more I grew to know him through my research, the more I discovered (and, dare I say, fell in love with) Bonhoeffer’s humanity. Sometimes I think we shy away from the ordinariness of our saints, when in reality, we should embrace those very elements of their lives.
Dietrich had a fabulous sense of humor, was “Uncle Dietrich” to a tribe of adoring nieces and nephews, and fell head over heels for Maria at the age of 36, the first time in his life he’d ever experienced the depth of romantic love. I believe he himself was a bit shocked by the strength of his feelings for her. I loved discovering this side of Bonhoeffer, and am so pleased to share it with readers.
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