Description
December, 1961 - Marta is a young girl who saw thirty miles of barbed wire appear across her city overnight, separating Berlin into West and East, with Marta’s home on the Communist Bloc-controlled eastern side.
January, 1989 - Now a spray-painted concrete monolith, the Berlin Wall bisects the city. Kurt, a young East Berliner, often wonders what those living on the other side must think of their unseen neighbors. Do they hate the people of East Germany as completely as Kurt has been instructed to hate them? Inspired by real events, Escape from East Berlin tells two stories of daring bids for freedom from the Eastern Bloc, set decades apart and relayed in alternating perspectives. Triumph and tragedy intertwine in this examination of both the earliest and final days of the Berlin Wall.
Review
This is the tale of two families, split by almost 30 years.
In November 1961, Marta and her family are living in Berlin - but by December 1961 miles of barbed wire has been erected overnight, and Berlin is suddenly split in two. Marta is left on the east side, controlled by the communists, but some of her family who lived across the road are now in West Berlin.
When her brother Stefan is killed trying to visit his girlfriend in the West, her family attract the attention of the Stasi secret police and they decide that they will do anything to escape from East Berlin.
Nearly 30 years later, in 1989, Kurt has grown up knowing nothing but the communist regime and often wonders what life is like in the West. His grandfather is a legend in the Stasi, but he too decides that the East is no place for Kurt and secretly plans for his escape.
This story is told in alternate chapters from both Marta and Kurt, which is a little confusing to begin with, but we soon recognise each story. A compelling insight into the life of people in East Berlin, and their desperation to escape the life of control by the communist government.
With daring escape plans and characters that will draw you in, this is an intriguing story and although not everything has a happy ending, the resilience of the human spirit shines through. A perfect book for those who enjoy historical fiction, as this is inspired by real events, and it will best suit readers aged 14 and above.
Reviewed by Michelle
