Luisa Voekler is a CIA code breaker in 1980s Washington, D.C. Even since she was a young girl, she’s excelled at solving puzzles and deciphering messages. Her grandfather made sure to cultivate those skills. Having been raised by her grandparents who emigrated from Berlin when she was a child, she doesn’t know much about her parents. She was told they died in a car accident. And her grandparents have always been tight-lipped about their life before America. Despite her remarkable performance and exceptional intelligence, she’s stuck deciphering messages from WWII. But while helping a coworker with her assignments, she notices a symbol on one of them – one that she’s seen before on her grandfather’s mail. Unfortunately her grandfather has passed and cannot reveal what connection – if any – exists between the letters at the CIA and the one she saw years ago. And when she begins to investigate, she realizes there’s more to her family’s history than she was ever clued in on. The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay is a dual-timeline, dual POV historical fiction novel in which Luisa gets closer to finding the truth and the danger that held her family prisoner for decades.
Book
Back in 1960s Berlin, Luisa’s father, Haris, was a pro-state journalist. He truly believed the government’s strict policies were necessary to build a better future. He was the newspaper’s star at writing propaganda to get citizens on board and cooperative. But when the border between East and West Berlin became physical and heavily guarded, his wife Monica made the difficult decision to sneak then three-year-old Luisa over the border to her parents. As a result, Haris and Monica’s marriage spiraled downward. Monica grew sick and passed away, leaving Haris alone. Still desperate for a connection to his daughter, Haris begins writing secret letters to his father-in-law. And as their friendship grows, so does Haris’s disdain for his country’s leaders.
Once Luisa connects the dots about her grandparents, aunt, and her parents, her instincts kick into overdrive. Did her grandfather work for the German government before fleeing to America? Is her father still alive? If so, is he still in Berlin? Determined to find the answers to her questions, Luisa uses all resources and connections available to her. She comes up with a plan, and embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth and evade multiple governments during a contentious time in the world.
Review
Reay creates a thrilling fictional tale that reminds readers about our nation’s history and heartbreaking experiences of those across the ocean during the Cold War. Both POVs from Luisa and Haris illustrate the psyche and context of living under authoritarian, militaristic rule and the lengths that those in power will go to contain ideals that threaten that power. While Luisa is an admirable character, Haris’s growth impressed me the most. Reay pits loyalty against family, challenging the reader to consider the lengths we ourselves might go to in order to ensure the safety of our loved ones. Action-packed, engaging, and impactful, The Berlin Letters is a must for anyone’s TBR pile.
Katherine Reay joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about her fascinating research and her favorite parts about writing this book. Keep an ear out for the interview in an upcoming episode and pick up a copy of The Berlin Letters, available now.
