Book Synopsis:
Drew is an army brat, a hotshot athlete poised to be his high school’s star pitcher, when he has to move for the sixth time in fifteen years—this time to West Berlin, where American soldiers like his dad hold an outpost of democracy against communist Russia in Hitler’s former capital. Meanwhile, in East Berlin, his cousin Matthias has grown up in the wreckage left by Allied bombing during World War II, on streets ruled by the Communist Party’s secret police.
From the opposing sides of the Cold War, Drew and Matthias begin to overcome the many ideological walls between them to become wary friends. They argue over the space race, capitalism, socialism, and even the American civil rights movement, and bond over rock ’n’ roll—music outlawed in Matthias’s part of the city. If Matthias is caught by the Stasi’s neighborhood spies with the records or books Drew has given him, he will be sent to a work camp for “re-education.” At the same time, Drew’s friendship with the East Berlin Jugend—who ardently spout communist dogma—raises suspicions about his family’s loyalty to America. As the political situation around them gets all the more dire, Drew and Matthias’s loyalty—to their sector, their countries, their families, and each other—will be tested in ways that will change their lives forever.
Set in the tumultuous year leading up to the surprise overnight raising of the Berlin Wall in August 1961, and punctuated with real-life photographs, headlines, and personalities of the time, Walls brings to vivid life the heroic and tragic choices of the Cold War.
My review:
4.5/5 stars. This is the third book I've read by this author, and this one might be my favorite. I first read a book about Peggy Schuyler a few years ago, after watching Hamilton for the first time, and really enjoyed it. Later, I read a Civil War-era book by L. M. Elliott that I didn't like as much. This one was great, though. I liked the characters, the writing style was easy, and I learned some new things.
The first positive thing that stuck out to me was the writing style. I would describe it as "comfortable" - everything felt natural and was easy to read. Even seemingly mundane things were described, so some scenes were very easy to picture. One in particular of note was when Matthias was teaching Drew how to play soccer. At one point, the ball rolled away, and the author described it as sending the dog "yapping into a corner." That made me laugh and was also easy to imagine.
I liked the characters. They weren't the most detailed and complex, but I still felt like I knew them. Matthias, especially, had a lot of depth. When he is first introduced, he's very closed off and stoic because of his upbringing and environment. As Drew gets to know him, though, he discovers that Matthias is actually a kind person with shared interests. Another character, Bob, was super annoying, but at the same time I felt bad for the way his dad treated him.
In between each chapter, there were a few pages of images and information about pop culture trends at the time, and historical events happening during each chapter. I enjoyed those a lot, especially learning about what was fun and trendy back then. While not all the information was relevant to the chapter it preceded, it helped give some context and set up some background.
The title of this book, Walls, is clever and has a double meaning. Literally, it's a reference to a physical wall - the Berlin Wall. However, that isn't actually put up until the very last chapter. Metaphorically, it's about the walls of ideals and upbringing that separate Drew and Matthias throughout the book, but that they eventually break as they become friends.
Finally, the ending was bittersweet. It wasn't super sad, but also didn't end with a happily-ever-after, everything is okay. There was a hopeful but realistic attitude about the future for the characters.
Content Warning:
Language: More mild language not super frequently. B*stard, A-hole (written like that, not spelled out), h*ll, d*mn, a**, God's name taken in vain.
Sexual Content: Barely anything. One or two kisses that aren't described at all, mention of a nude beach, mention of giant statues being naked and anatomically correct.
Violence/Gore: Violent acts and deaths are mentioned and talked about, but nothing is ever really shown, nor is much detail given.
Drugs/alcohol: A teen character drinks alcohol quickly.
Comments