Review: The Berlin Apartment

As much as I love to read historical fiction that takes place during the World Wars, I’ve found myself seeking out more stories that are set outside of those years. That’s part of what drew me to Bryn Turnbull’s latest novel, The Berlin Apartment. I really appreciated getting a fictional viewpoint of what life would have been like in Berlin as the Berlin Wall was being constructed.

Here’s the book’s description:

Berlin 1961: When Uli Neumann proposes to Lise Bauer, she has every reason to accept. He offers her love, respect, and a life beyond the strict bounds of the East German society in which she was raised — which she longs to leave more than anything. But only two short days after their engagement, Lise and Uli are torn violently apart when barbed wire is rolled across Berlin, splitting the city into two hostile halves: capitalist West Berlin, an island of western influence isolated far beyond the iron curtain; and the socialist East, a country determined to control its citizens by any means necessary.

Soon, Uli and his friends in West Berlin hatch a plan to get Lise and her unborn child out of East Germany, but as distance and suspicion bleed into their lives and as weeks turn to months, how long can true love survive in the divided city?

I really didn’t know a ton about East and West Berlin and why the city was separated. I’ve seen pieces of the Wall at various museums and knew it came down in 1989 - in my lifetime though, as a two year old, I had other things on my mind. Snacks, probably. I always love approaching a time in history via fiction first, especially these days when authors do so much research to get the facts and the feel of the story as accurate as possible. 

Turnbull did such a good job of getting the feeling right that I actually had to set the book aside for a few days. I just couldn’t handle reading as a couple was separated by a wall and for what? A city that couldn’t figure out how to come together after the war? It was incredibly devastating and I was not in an emotional headspace to feel all I was supposed to for Lise and Uli. I eventually came back to it - on audiobook once the book was released - and felt mentally prepared to find out if the pair would ever be reunited. 

The book spans from the weekend before the city was divided in 1961 to an epilogue that took place on November 9, 1989, the night the wall came down. On the one hand, I appreciated seeing how times changed during that span and the time it took for the border to be removed. On the other hand, that’s a long time for a novel. I just couldn’t help but feel the pace was a little off and it meant the last portion of the novel felt quicker than the first portion and I don’t think that made for a good flow. 

Even with that pacing issue, the end of the novel was immensely satisfying. I think part of that was due to the characters Turnbull created and how much I cared for them. The situation Lise and Uli found themselves in was so heartbreaking and was made even more so by thinking about how many real people had their lives completely ripped apart when the border was erected. 

While The Berlin Apartment didn’t blow me away, I remain a fan of Bryn Turnbull and the way she can tell compelling historical stories. I look forward to her next novel - and meeting her in the fall when she comes to a library near me!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HTP Books, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*