1960s Germany, the Berlin Wall has been in place for a short while. Rolf I informed that he will shortly be picked up by the Stasi, and plans his escape via the river. He leaves behind his young wife, son and mother. Soon after, the repercussions of his defection start to become apparent. His wife, Trudi, woefully underutilised in a factory, is demoted further to cleaner. Wolfgang, a childhood friend of her husband, comes to the flat to tell her she will be picked up next, and, unexpectedly in light of his profession, he arranges her escape. Once in the West, Trudi tries to get her son back.

The author brings together good story played out against a great backdrop, which, despite a glaringly unnecessary plot twist, is rather page-turning. The plight of families divided by a wall in the middle of a city is well-depicted, as well as the very different lives led by Ossis and Wessis. The characters are cleverly chosen – from Rolf, who suffered under the Nazis, and unlike some who threw themselves whole-heartedly into the new regime, recognised the exchange of one dark power for another. Wolfgang, his childhood friend, but one spent the war abroad, is a supporter, working as he does as a policeman, though he is not as fanatic as his boss. Trudi is caught in the middle, she has seen her own social situation deteriorate in the GDR, but initially puts her son's well-being first. Later, she comes to realise that personal beliefs are important.

The book works well, a very human drama in difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, the ridiculous plot twist, which takes Trudi to the States, is a hiccup. What possessed the author?! ( )

Historical fictions can be harder reads but with the mix of fiction and our past this book was well written. It had slow parts throughout but as a mother it really made me think what I would do. ( )

A gripping, sobering, and thought-provoking tale of friendship, loyalty, and politics, set in the aftermath of the erection of the Berlin Wall in 1962. When Rolf is identified as a member of the underground, responsible for 23 successful escapes to West Berlin, he himself is forced to flee to the West. His defection puts his wife Trudy under suspicion, however. Wolfgang is a childhood friend of Rolf's, with diametrically opposed political views, and a senior officer with the Volkspolizei. When he realises Trudy is in danger, Wolfgang risks his own career to facilitate her escape. However, she is forced to leave her young son Stefan behind, and swears to come back for him. The rest of the book tells about her attempts to do just that.

At the start of the novel, Trudy has little interest in politics, and despite her husband's 'hero' status, sees both Rolf and Wolfgang as being loyal to abstract principles that only serve to ruin people's lives. She's not blind to the irony that her husband has been a hero to total stangers, and yet simultaneously unable to protect his own family. Trudy's views evolve, however, over the course of the story, and this raised interesting questions for me about the extent to which we could and should be willing to make sacrifices for such principles. ( )

This is a book with two titles as noted above. It is the first book that I have read about the time period when the wall went up and having lived in a town that must have been cut apart by the wall, and having actually seen the wall it meant a lot to me. I did enjoy the book.
In summary - Trudy's husband Rolf is forced to flee to the West when it is discovered that he has been helping people escape to the West. Trudy, as the wife of a defector is brought in for questioning and in consequence she knows that she now faces possible imprisonment. It is a difficult decision but she leaves her small son with her mother in law and escapes to the West not knowing what has happened to her husband. When she arrives in the West Trudy learns the fate of her husband and from then on her goal is to find a way to be reunited with her son, a journey that takes her to America and back. Preston has included JFK"S visit to Berlin and his subsequent assassination in the story. I found the chain of events leading to her visit to America slightly unbelievable but I did become engrossed in her struggle to be reunited with her son. There are good descriptions of life in East and West Germany in the book, and strong characters in Trudy, her husband Rolf, and Rolf's childhood friend Wolfgang, a member of the border police, who in the end was prepared to put his career at risk to help Trudy. And in the end the question is - How far would you be prepared to go to get your child back? ( )

This tender story begins with strong-willed and principled Rolf defecting from East Berlin and leaving behind his wife and child in hopes that they’ll join him later. His wife, Trudy’s determination to move her family to West Berlin drives the rest of the story with emotional insights. As the reader, I found her fearless determination courageous and admirable, yet scary at the same time. Author Marcia Preston does a good job helping the reader to identify with Trudy and her actions. When she describes Trudy’s trek through the tunnel to West Berlin, I could well imagine the humility of having someone tuck my skirt into my underwear to keep it out of the way. I could almost feel the sting of scraped knees from crawling through the dirty, rocky passage. She continues with pictorial descriptions of Trudy’s shabby clothes and meager living arrangements on the west side. Not only are her descriptions vivid, but she brings to life the real history of communist Germany in the early ‘60s. The real focus of the story shows how strong a mother’s love is and how far she’ll go to be reunited with her son without compromising her principles. This was a wonderful story that I will not forget. ( )