Following a family tragedy, author Janet Grace Riehl returns to her childhood home in the Midwest. There she turns to her craft-- writing-- for comfort and understanding in a world that seems stripped of meaning. In her search she discovers a new sense of connection-- a reunion with life before and after her sister's death. “Sightlines” offers a frank portrait of a family not only coming to terms with its grief, but also celebrating its past and difficult present. Although deeply personal, these poems strike universal chords and carry us back to what is truly important in our lives.

Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary

Janet Grace Riehl
iUniverse (2006)
ISBN 0595374999
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (4/06)


After the tragic accidental death of her sister, poet Janet Riehl takes pen to paper and writes her way through her grief. Riehl’s compilation of poetry touches on one year of healing, taking the reader back to the beginning when notified of her sister’s death, to recollections of her sister, through the health and life issues surrounding her aging parents, and finally to the acceptance of her sister’s death.

There are many layers of grief, and each of us grieves in our own way. Bereft – shorn, torn open, last year.

Riehl’s recorded journey is deep and heartwarming, yet, sad and contemplative. Each piece takes the reader deep within themselves and encourages a personal search for their own feelings of hurt, pain, and grief.

Of course we know the sun isn’t really rising. This phase is a remnant from when we thought the world was flat. And if we sailed too far, we’d drop off the edge of the world.

Although a personal journey for Riehl, I felt “Sightlines” taking me on my own passage through life; remembering those that were here and now gone, giving gratitude for where I am today and looking forward to my own continued journey.