A Review By Frances

An historical novel for younger teens, but set not too long ago in 1970s East Berlin before the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Paul Dowswell captures the tension and the dourness of life in East Berlin as we follow the lives of Alex  and his family.  Alex dreams of becoming a rock musician, but while teenagers in West Berlin – a short train ride away- are drinking Coca Cola and listening to American and British pop music, Alex cannot allow anyone to know about the music he and his friends play in secret for fear of the Stasi (the East German Secret Police)  Alex’s friend Geli, a promising gymnast, is taking pills prescribed by her coach, which we the reader can see are steroids, but which Geli has been told are vitamin supplements.  Alex is also fed up with his” Trabi” car and is beginning to become totally disillusioned with the socialist system.  He dare not share his doubts even with his family, and when one of his friends disappears and is rumoured to have “Gone over” the Wall, Alex realises his life is under even closer scrutiny than before.

The West does not escape criticism – life in West Berlin when Alex eventually gets there is not perfect either.  Dowswell underlines the selfishness and shallowness of a more liberal society where Alex and his family are shunned because of their lack of sophistication 

 A tight thriller, which I thoroughly enjoyed, wonderfully well researched.