The Berlin Crossing
Published on 21. June 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-0-7553-8086-2 (ISBN)
Description
Secrets and spies, love and tragedy in Stasi East Germany.
Brandenburg 1993: The Berlin Wall is down, the country is reunified and thirty-year-old school teacher Michael Ritter feels his life is falling apart. His wife has thrown him out, his new West German headmaster has fired him for being a socialist, former Party member and he is still clinging on to the wreckage of the state that shaped him. Feeling angry and lost, Michael heads home to care for his terminally ill mother.
Before she dies, she urges him to seek out an evangelical priest, Pastor Bruck, who is the only one who knows the truth about his father. When Michael eventually tracks him down, he is taken on a journey of dark discoveries, one which will shatter his foundations, but ultimately bring him hope to rebuild them.
Brandenburg 1993: The Berlin Wall is down, the country is reunified and thirty-year-old school teacher Michael Ritter feels his life is falling apart. His wife has thrown him out, his new West German headmaster has fired him for being a socialist, former Party member and he is still clinging on to the wreckage of the state that shaped him. Feeling angry and lost, Michael heads home to care for his terminally ill mother.
Before she dies, she urges him to seek out an evangelical priest, Pastor Bruck, who is the only one who knows the truth about his father. When Michael eventually tracks him down, he is taken on a journey of dark discoveries, one which will shatter his foundations, but ultimately bring him hope to rebuild them.
Reviews / Votes
'Its humanity, attention to period detail and sheer guts will win you over' * Guardian * There are distinct echoes... of the shadowy, sinister world evoked in John Le Carre's The Spy Who Came In From the Cold * Irish Independent * 'This fascinating tale, which throws new light on recent history, is an excellent first novel' * Literary Review * 'Bittersweet and beautifully observed' * Financial Times * If you enjoy a good story with depth and intrigue, I don't think this book will disappoint. I loved it. Thoroughly recommended * www.thebookbag.co.uk *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
266 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7553-8086-2 (9780755380862)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Kevin Brophy grew up in a military barracks on Ireland's west coast and now lives in Galway. He has written various non-fiction titles previously and his chequered career includes stints as a postman and teacher, barman and businessman. He has lived in Ireland, England and Poland but feels most at home in Germany.