Series: Book #
Publication Date: August 27, 2024
“Wholly immersive and impeccably researched, Bryn Turnbull’s tale brings the time vividly to life.” —Toronto Star on The Paris Deception
For fans of Kate Quinn and Kristin Hannah, this sweeping love story follows a young couple whose lives are irrevocably changed when they’re separated overnight by the construction of the Berlin Wall.
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?
Lise Bauer straddles both East and West Germany, but the sudden erection of a wire barricade in 1961 leaves her on the opposite side, separated from her West German fiancé.
The Berlin Apartment highlights the termination of free movement between what at the time was two separate countries. Author Bryn Turnbull draws upon historical accounts of the Berlin Wall’s 30 years of existence and those who dared to try an escape plan.
With efforts to reunite thwarted, Lise and Uli pursue different paths, although their bond persists. As the years go by, readers get snippets of their separate lives.
As the author depicts life in East Germany for Lise, there is a definite contrast drawn to the freedom of West Germany. Residents at that time had no idea how long the barricade would last. It’s a poignant tale rooted in reality.
The Berlin Apartment explores how love can overcome separation, even a physical wall.
Bryn Turnbull is the internationally bestselling author of The Woman Before Wallis. With a master of letters in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews, a master of professional communication from Toronto Metropolitan University and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from McGill University, Bryn focuses on finding stories of women lost within the cracks of the historical record. She lives in Toronto.
