Fate can be cruel.  And only history can create stories as brutal and heartbreaking as this one.  Twins, Jutta and Karin, had never been separated until suddenly and incomprehensibly they found themselves on opposite sides of the ‘antifascist protection barrier” that had been erected overnight.  Robotham cleverly blends her research of the time period of the Berlin Wall with an engaging storyline of love, loss, and resilience.  

 

Just as this time period cultivated strong feeling, emotion is deeply seeped into the fabric of this story.  Robotham’s depiction of Jutta and Karin’s situation made me feel the utter helplessness, immense despair, and life altering sadness that they encountered.  At each juncture, they faced impossible decisions.  Life was complex for the twins and often felt as if it, rather than the wall, was crashing down.  Robotham storyline gives us a glimpse into the overnight and long term impact the wall had on families on both sides of the wall.  

 

I lived in Germany for many years, so I am forever drawn back there through literature.  While I’ve read many books set throughout the history of Germany, this is the first novel I’ve come across that covers the overnight construction and longevity of the Berlin Wall.  The storyline and writing drew me back to the streets of Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie, the afternoons in coffee shops, and walking the portion of the Berlin Wall that still stands.  

 

The story is rich in history, and because of that, it had a very slow start.  But once the historic framework is set, the pace of the story gains momentum.  Short chapters partnered with changing point of view and the need to know what becomes of the twins makes the rest of the book compelling. 

 

Thank you Mandy Robotham, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.