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Leaving Berlin
by Joseph Kanon
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Pub Date
Apr 01 2015
| Archive Date
Feb 01 2015
Description
Berlin 1949. Alex Meier, a young Jewish writer, fled the Nazis for America before the war. But the politics of his youth have now put him in the crosshairs of the McCarthy witch-hunts. Faced with deportation and the loss of his family, he makes a desperate bargain with the fledgling CIA: he will earn his way back to America by acting as their agent in his native Berlin. But almost from the start things go fatally wrong. A kidnapping misfires, an East German agent is killed, and Alex finds himself a wanted man. Worse, he discovers his real assignment - to spy on the woman he left behind, the only woman he has ever loved. Changing sides in Berlin is as easy as crossing a sector border. But where do we draw the lines of our moral boundaries? Betrayal? Survival? Murder?
Filled with intrigue and the moral ambiguity of conflicted loyalties, Leaving Berlin is a compelling thriller and a love story that brings a shadowy period of history vividly to life.
Berlin 1949. Alex Meier, a young Jewish writer, fled the Nazis for America before the war. But the politics of his youth have now put him in the crosshairs of the McCarthy witch-hunts. Faced with...
Description
Berlin 1949. Alex Meier, a young Jewish writer, fled the Nazis for America before the war. But the politics of his youth have now put him in the crosshairs of the McCarthy witch-hunts. Faced with deportation and the loss of his family, he makes a desperate bargain with the fledgling CIA: he will earn his way back to America by acting as their agent in his native Berlin. But almost from the start things go fatally wrong. A kidnapping misfires, an East German agent is killed, and Alex finds himself a wanted man. Worse, he discovers his real assignment - to spy on the woman he left behind, the only woman he has ever loved. Changing sides in Berlin is as easy as crossing a sector border. But where do we draw the lines of our moral boundaries? Betrayal? Survival? Murder?
Filled with intrigue and the moral ambiguity of conflicted loyalties, Leaving Berlin is a compelling thriller and a love story that brings a shadowy period of history vividly to life.
Available Editions
| EDITION |
Paperback |
| ISBN |
9781471137051 |
| PRICE |
A$29.99 (AUD)
|
Additional Information
Available Editions
| EDITION |
Paperback |
| ISBN |
9781471137051 |
| PRICE |
A$29.99 (AUD)
|
Average rating from 4 members
Featured Reviews
Paul P, Bookseller
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Berlin 1949. Alex Meier, a young Jewish writer, fled the Nazis for America before the war. But the politics of his youth have now put him in the crosshairs of the McCarthy witch-hunts. Faced with deportation and the loss of his family, he makes a desperate bargain with the fledgling CIA: he will earn his way back to America by acting as their agent in his native Berlin.
But almost from the start things go fatally wrong. A kidnapping misfires, an East German agent is killed, and Alex finds himself a wanted man. Worse, he discovers his real assignment - to spy on the woman he left behind, the only woman he has ever loved. Changing sides in Berlin is as easy as crossing a sector border. But where do we draw the lines of our moral boundaries? Betrayal? Survival? Murder?
I have been a fan of post-WW2 / Cold War novels for a long time. So many great novels out there - and this should be added to that list.
There is something very gritty and bleak about the setting. I didn't have to think too hard about the rubble remains of Berlin - the author put it into my head perfectly. I could almost feel the bullets zinging over my head as the Germans didn't particularly like Allies steeping out of their zones...
The characters work into this setting in such a way that I never stopped to think "does this guy belong here?" It seems to be a bit of a problem in some historical thrillers that MC's seem to have been transplanted from modern-day Hollywood and never seem to match the environment they are in. Not the case here, at all.
The biggest winner, though, was the prose/storytelling. There is a sparsity to the writing (maybe mirroring the remains of Berlin) that doesn't allow you to breath - it sucks you in as there are no wasted words, no chance to put the book down and walk away. That is a skill that I admire.
Missed out on a 5th star because of the unnecessary (in my mind) abundance of characters. When I have to stop to remember who someone is, then there is a good chance that the book is starting to get a little overloaded in characters.
However, that doesn't detract too much from the actual storytelling - and I have no trouble recommending this book at all!
Paul
ARH
Featured Reviews
Paul P, Bookseller
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Berlin 1949. Alex Meier, a young Jewish writer, fled the Nazis for America before the war. But the politics of his youth have now put him in the crosshairs of the McCarthy witch-hunts. Faced with deportation and the loss of his family, he makes a desperate bargain with the fledgling CIA: he will earn his way back to America by acting as their agent in his native Berlin.
But almost from the start things go fatally wrong. A kidnapping misfires, an East German agent is killed, and Alex finds himself a wanted man. Worse, he discovers his real assignment - to spy on the woman he left behind, the only woman he has ever loved. Changing sides in Berlin is as easy as crossing a sector border. But where do we draw the lines of our moral boundaries? Betrayal? Survival? Murder?
I have been a fan of post-WW2 / Cold War novels for a long time. So many great novels out there - and this should be added to that list.
There is something very gritty and bleak about the setting. I didn't have to think too hard about the rubble remains of Berlin - the author put it into my head perfectly. I could almost feel the bullets zinging over my head as the Germans didn't particularly like Allies steeping out of their zones...
The characters work into this setting in such a way that I never stopped to think "does this guy belong here?" It seems to be a bit of a problem in some historical thrillers that MC's seem to have been transplanted from modern-day Hollywood and never seem to match the environment they are in. Not the case here, at all.
The biggest winner, though, was the prose/storytelling. There is a sparsity to the writing (maybe mirroring the remains of Berlin) that doesn't allow you to breath - it sucks you in as there are no wasted words, no chance to put the book down and walk away. That is a skill that I admire.
Missed out on a 5th star because of the unnecessary (in my mind) abundance of characters. When I have to stop to remember who someone is, then there is a good chance that the book is starting to get a little overloaded in characters.
However, that doesn't detract too much from the actual storytelling - and I have no trouble recommending this book at all!
Paul
ARH
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