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A review by rozanne_visagie
The Girl Behind the Wall by Mandy Robotham
4.0
*Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted an electronic copy of this book by Netgalley and Avon Books in exchange for an honest review.
The Girl Behind The Wall is the newest novel from the internationally bestselling WWII historical fiction author, Mandy Robotham. Mandy Robotham is known for titles such as [b:The German Midwife|43011720|The German Midwife|Mandy Robotham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543558692l/43011720._SY75_.jpg|65821768] or also known as A Woman of War, [b:The Secret Messenger|52762957|The Secret Messenger|Mandy Robotham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570442407l/52762957._SX50_SY75_.jpg|70900370] (which is my favourite) and [b:The Berlin Girl|53174741|The Berlin Girl|Mandy Robotham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597695202l/53174741._SY75_.jpg|80038826]. The Girl Behind The Wall is different from Mandy's other books since it takes place during the 1960s when the Berlin Wall was erected overnight.
No one expected a wall, no one expected a divide, but one morning everything changed. On the morning of 13th August 1961 Berlin was divided by barbed wire soon transforming into a Wall, creating a divide between East and West Berlin, forever changing the lives of twins Jutta and Karin Voight. Jutta woke on the West side in her bedroom and Karin woke on the East in a hospital bed. Being hastily admitted to the hospital for a medical procedure, Karin was unaware of the Wall and had no idea that she won't be able to go back home.
As the Wall climbs higher, life as they know it comes crashing down.
With numerous applications denied to go to the East, Jutta is forced to accept that she will never see Karin again. With the help of her nephew Hugo, who works as a junior reporter, she is able to get a message across the Wall to Karin at the hospital, but soon the situation escalates and all communication between the East and West is cut, leaving the twins in distress. Realising the Wall is there to stay, Karin is forced to create a life for herself in the East, with the help of Dr. Simms. Abandoning her dreams of fashion, she ends up working in the Charité hospital and meets Otto Kruger, whom she falls in love with. If she had a choice to go back to the West, to Jutta and her family, would she go?
Meanwhile, in the West Jutta is trying her best to find a way to bring Karin back, focusing on the thread between them, but slowly losing hope as there is no way of knowing if Karin is safe, if she is alive. One day Jutta stumbles upon access to the East side. If she gets caught crossing to the East, the consequences will be terrible, but Jutta knows it's worth the risk if there is a possibility to find Karin and bring her back. While contemplating on how to get Karin back to the West, Jutta meets Danny Strachan and falls in love. Love complicates everything and Jutta and Karin tries to find a way to make everything work.
The pace of the story felt a bit slow but I still enjoyed the story. I liked both sisters and I found the effects the Berlin Wall had on the East and West sides interesting. I'm not familiar with the Berlin Wall, so this book encouraged me to do some research. It's heartbreaking that families were subjected to such a level of divide and having no control over it. Jutta and Karin, even though they're fictional, represent countless families who had to endure separation. Mandy was able to capture the fear and uncertainty families experienced on both sides of the Wall. The book is divided into four parts, beginning in 1961 and ending in 1989. I enjoyed the short chapters and the ending brought loose ties together, the reader isn't left with any unanswered questions.
Mandy Robotham is an amazing writer and once again she was able to take a historical moment and make it come to life. If you love historical fiction, I recommend that you read this book.
This review is posted on my blog:
https://willowscornerbook.wordpress.com/2021/04/30/the-girl-behind-the-wall-by-mandy-robotham-book-review/
The Girl Behind The Wall is the newest novel from the internationally bestselling WWII historical fiction author, Mandy Robotham. Mandy Robotham is known for titles such as [b:The German Midwife|43011720|The German Midwife|Mandy Robotham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543558692l/43011720._SY75_.jpg|65821768] or also known as A Woman of War, [b:The Secret Messenger|52762957|The Secret Messenger|Mandy Robotham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570442407l/52762957._SX50_SY75_.jpg|70900370] (which is my favourite) and [b:The Berlin Girl|53174741|The Berlin Girl|Mandy Robotham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597695202l/53174741._SY75_.jpg|80038826]. The Girl Behind The Wall is different from Mandy's other books since it takes place during the 1960s when the Berlin Wall was erected overnight.
No one expected a wall, no one expected a divide, but one morning everything changed. On the morning of 13th August 1961 Berlin was divided by barbed wire soon transforming into a Wall, creating a divide between East and West Berlin, forever changing the lives of twins Jutta and Karin Voight. Jutta woke on the West side in her bedroom and Karin woke on the East in a hospital bed. Being hastily admitted to the hospital for a medical procedure, Karin was unaware of the Wall and had no idea that she won't be able to go back home.
As the Wall climbs higher, life as they know it comes crashing down.
With numerous applications denied to go to the East, Jutta is forced to accept that she will never see Karin again. With the help of her nephew Hugo, who works as a junior reporter, she is able to get a message across the Wall to Karin at the hospital, but soon the situation escalates and all communication between the East and West is cut, leaving the twins in distress. Realising the Wall is there to stay, Karin is forced to create a life for herself in the East, with the help of Dr. Simms. Abandoning her dreams of fashion, she ends up working in the Charité hospital and meets Otto Kruger, whom she falls in love with. If she had a choice to go back to the West, to Jutta and her family, would she go?
Meanwhile, in the West Jutta is trying her best to find a way to bring Karin back, focusing on the thread between them, but slowly losing hope as there is no way of knowing if Karin is safe, if she is alive. One day Jutta stumbles upon access to the East side. If she gets caught crossing to the East, the consequences will be terrible, but Jutta knows it's worth the risk if there is a possibility to find Karin and bring her back. While contemplating on how to get Karin back to the West, Jutta meets Danny Strachan and falls in love. Love complicates everything and Jutta and Karin tries to find a way to make everything work.
The pace of the story felt a bit slow but I still enjoyed the story. I liked both sisters and I found the effects the Berlin Wall had on the East and West sides interesting. I'm not familiar with the Berlin Wall, so this book encouraged me to do some research. It's heartbreaking that families were subjected to such a level of divide and having no control over it. Jutta and Karin, even though they're fictional, represent countless families who had to endure separation. Mandy was able to capture the fear and uncertainty families experienced on both sides of the Wall. The book is divided into four parts, beginning in 1961 and ending in 1989. I enjoyed the short chapters and the ending brought loose ties together, the reader isn't left with any unanswered questions.
Mandy Robotham is an amazing writer and once again she was able to take a historical moment and make it come to life. If you love historical fiction, I recommend that you read this book.
This review is posted on my blog:
https://willowscornerbook.wordpress.com/2021/04/30/the-girl-behind-the-wall-by-mandy-robotham-book-review/