The Berlin Exchange

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And Martin soon learns that there are other people in East Berlin from his past, people who want something from him. But Martin comes to want something too, and his careful, determined, long-range mind puts together an audacious plan to get it. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here.

Good. So, first come to dinner. See Peter. You want to see your old friend Schell? Of course. See anybody you like. Well, maybe not Ulbricht. Nobody sees him. Except Frau Ulbricht.” He smiled, an easy joke, patching things over. “But there’s a right time.” He moved his hand to Martin’s chest, a faint pat. “Let me arrange things.” I’m too much a coward,” she’d said. “All the blood. I don’t have the stomach for that. It doesn’t bother you?” Martin’s actions during the war landed him in English prison and would have gotten him executed in America; he feels incredible guilt for helping create weapons that would kill hundreds of thousands of people. Stefan’s decision to call for peace go against the Cold War objectives of East Germany and Russia. Discuss the role that individuals can play in global events and the idea of personal accountability. How are these themes important today? Steeped in atmospheric tension and dizzying layers of secrecy, The Berlin Exchange follows Martin as he finds himself more and more deeply involved in Kurt’s morally ambiguous dealings and political entanglements until finally he has to navigate a treacherous path that could put not just his own life at risk but also that of his ex-wife, Sabine, and their young son, Peter, all the while trying to find answers. Did he do the right thing during the war? How do you live day to day in a surveillance state? And, most urgently, what did all the sets of eyes watching his every move want from him? Martin can’t figure out why he’s being treated as a valuable asset to be exchanged. His scientific knowledge is many years out of date. He thought he was a forgotten man. He learns that his wife, Sabine, who he agreed should divorce him when he went to prison, has a new husband, Kurt, whose job as a lawyer is to arrange prisoner exchanges. Sabine says that Peter, the son she had with Martin, is growing up and she wants him to know his father, so she got Kurt to pulls strings.This book! I pondered for an entire day before doing the review. That is not my usual practice- doing the review almost immediately upon finish. It's fully 4.5 stars. I wanted to round it up but couldn't. Why? Because the nature of the beast is so complex and manipulative and frankly confusing- that the character / plot/ transitions/ continuity remain entirely mixed throughout the book. It's difficult to even remember all the primes' names. There are probably 20 to 25 all going in various and shadowed (or not) directions. Thus it is not an easy read. After, they lay still for a few minutes, and then he rolled off, slightly embarrassed, afraid he’d given himself away, who he really was. She reached over and took out a cigarette, something he imagined she would do every time, the way he’d first seen her, smoking. Reading this book further solidified in my mind the greatness of the book “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold”, by John Le Carre.

Well, the Americans. It’s a long time and maybe they don’t care so much anymore. And I made the point that your parole would come soon. After that, they don’t have you to trade, so why not make a deal now? Get something for you.” A novel that gives paranoia a new name, Kanon's latest in a brilliant collection—including Leaving Berlin (2014) and Istanbul Passage (2012)—may be his most tightly rendered. The suspense builds quietly, almost stealthily, before tightening its grip. Another supersophisticated spy thriller from a ranking master." — Kirkus (starred review)The driver stayed slumped over, but a young man opened the passenger door, hands up. “Don’t shoot.” He looked at the driver, distraught. “You killed him. Murderers.” So we’ll know what’s true, between us. The others? That’s something else. But between us, the truth.” Of Less for you to pass along.” To whom, Martin wondered. MI5? The head warden? Was anyone still interested? I know. You’re right—old habits. What else would I do?” He looked again at Martin. “The exchange was for you?”