The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 and completely separated East Berlin from West Berlin. This physical separation of the city initially happened overnight, with barbed wire and guards being put in place under the cover of darkness, then the wall was built. The Soviet government could not afford for people to leave so they had to make sure they couldn't. The building of this wall separated families, lovers and friends and tore a whole city in two. Escape was almost impossible. But that didn't stop people trying.
The story of Tunnel 29 follows Joachim a young boy caught up in the politics of East and West Germany. What shocked me from the start was the rough ride those caught up in the conflict of East and West Germany had, not only did many on the East side have to endure the horrors of the Red Army finding them when the Soviets liberated Germany, they then had to accept their freedoms being taken away, and finally being closed away from the West altogether. Although Germans in general had to deal with the horrors of war, it was a further injustice for the East to be left to the communists like this.
Tunnel 29 as it was named was a daring escape out of East Germany - it involved tunneling from the West (under a busy street the Berlin Wall was built on) in to the East without being detected. A tunnel was a dangerous way out, without proper knowledge the tunnel could collapse and suffocate you, Stasi agents used listening devices on the floor to check if anyone was tunneling through - if they found you, you would be arrested and potentially executed or in some cases they'd fill your tunnel with water to drown you. Either way your life would be bleak if you were caught. Tunnel 29 was a rare success- so called Tunnel 29 as 29 people managed to escape. The backstory to the escape and the sheer effort and determination of those involved made this book absolutely thrilling, I could barely put it down because I needed to know what happened to these group of brave men and women.
I don't want to give too much of the book away incase you want to read it (which you really should!) but the detail provided by Joachim is phenomenal, he even remembers small details like smells from the time which just adds an even greater depth to the story- you'd think it was written in the weeks after the escape not decades after! I also enjoyed the way that the story looked at other accounts by people involved in the Tunnel 29 escape and looked at the general picture of East Germany, especially the Stasi. There were some horrific things that happened to many in East but it just proved even more how brutal the country was, that anyone who escaped was doing it out of necessity to truly live. Although I have studied post war history, I have to admit I didn't know any of the intricate details of East Germany, none of the personal stories or anything of significance. I really loved that Tunnel 29 was a truly personal story as it really helped me connect with the feeling at the time and give me a better idea of what drove these people to escape East Germany.
Considering the Berlin Wall was only taken down in 1989 and Germany only reunified in 1990 it is in so many peoples living memory, I personally have never known a divided Germany, and find it hard to imagine that this was accepted as a normality by most of the world. A divided Germany seems like it should have been hundreds of years ago, but in fact it has only been just over 30 years since the wall came down and just 60 years since the wall was constructed. I was struck by the fact that the people who were part of the escape are probably younger than my grandparents, who also experienced World War 2 and its devastation but were able to live relatively normal lives after it finished. Whereas Joachim couldn't even study what he wanted to at university because he wasn't a model citizen.
I really recommend buying a copy of this book, it's a story I won't forget as it's written so brilliantly and the source material used is rich in detail. Even if you aren't a modern history fan, I think you'll enjoy this one as it is a story you can't help but be intrigued by, and you can't help but admire the characters who risked everything for their freedom. Helena Merriman who wrote the book has done an incredible job, especially when you think of how much time researching and interviewing was spent to get the sheer detail that was included in the book.
Thank you to Helena for the signed book and I can't wait to get stuck in to the podcast!
If you do read the book, let me know what you think!
Rosie
P.s here's some handy links to buy the book - Waterstones | Amazon
