Susan Donovan Bernhard’s Book Notes music playlist for her novel Westerly

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. Susan Donovan Bernhard’s novel Westerly is a multi-generational epic that spans fifty years, three countries, and three generations of unforgettable women. Heather Aimee O’Neill wrote of the book: “In a story packed with as much secrecy as love, Westerly follows two generations of women as they move from war-torn Germany to an Irish village to mid-coast Maine across five decades. But the larger journey is one of learning to share our lives―our past and present truths―with those who are supposed to know us best, and trusting that they will still love us. An absolutely beautiful story of choosing honesty and forgiveness over secrets and shame.” In her own words, here is Susan Donovan Bernhard’s…