review: West of the Wall

West of the Wall
by Marcia Preston

The year after the Berlin Wall was constructed, Trudy Hulst and her family were divided when her husband, a political activist, made his escape to West Berlin. As a defector’s wife, she found herself in danger of imprisonment and soon followed Rolf over the wall, leaving her one-year-old son in the care of his frail grandmother. Once she acclimates to life outside the wall, her number one priority is recovering her son, Stefan, and her mother-in-law, Gisela–a feat that seems impossible. But with the visit of US President John F. Kennedy, she finds renewed hope. She must navigate the world of politics and media to form a plan–legal or illegal–to reunite her family.

If not for the fascinating history immersed in this story, it would be more of a three star read for me. Reason being, there is not much depth to the characters. There’s a split narration between Rolf, Trudy, Wolfgang (friend of the family), and Schweinhardt (Wolfgang’s rival in the Volkspolizei), and while this gives a panoramic view of the story, it lessens the details with each one. It also includes a story line that seems a little unbelievable. However, because this book inspired me to do further research (I actually watched a 1.5 hour documentary on the Berlin Wall) and it is factually accurate, I must admit that this is a fine introduction to its subject matter for historical readers.

This book has been republished under the title Trudy’s Promise. The title West of the Wall originated from a song by Toni Fisher (1962), although there is no mention of this in the story–it’s just something I came across on my research binge. As I read, I was reminded of another song from one of my favorite bands, Third Eye Blind, which may or may not have a more current political message. Coupled with the YA book I read last January (Going Over by Beth Kephart) this era is quickly becoming an area of interest with me.