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Through Different Eyes
As the Cold War rages, twelve-year-old Colette (Col) Schmidt, flees Leipzig with her mother after they discover her secret policeman father is a Nazi war criminal.
Settled in England by MI6, the lies Col must tell to hide her true origins weigh down her budding friendships. She makes inadvertent slips that expose her origins to her friends, but these reinforce and deepen their relationships. After MI6 use the pair as bait to lure out communist agents, they ship Colette and her mother to Australia.
There, she is forced to use her linguistic skills to spy on the migrant communities.
The risk of exposure causes the lies to proliferate and her internal conflict intensifies.
Masking her truth in necessary lies, she finds support from a school friend, a Russian émigré and a first World War Scottish soldier. But the lies she must tell and their cargo of guilt take her to the brink of a breakdown.
Can Colette find a way past the lies – without bringing the communist assassins to her door?
Settled in England by MI6, the lies Col must tell to hide her true origins weigh down her budding friendships. She makes inadvertent slips that expose her origins to her friends, but these reinforce and deepen their relationships. After MI6 use the pair as bait to lure out communist agents, they ship Colette and her mother to Australia.
There, she is forced to use her linguistic skills to spy on the migrant communities.
The risk of exposure causes the lies to proliferate and her internal conflict intensifies.
Masking her truth in necessary lies, she finds support from a school friend, a Russian émigré and a first World War Scottish soldier. But the lies she must tell and their cargo of guilt take her to the brink of a breakdown.
Can Colette find a way past the lies – without bringing the communist assassins to her door?
510 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 29, 2023
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 7, 2023
Fewer than twenty years after the end of the Second World War, a young girl finds herself embroiled in Cold War intrigue on an international scale. When it was discovered that her father, a rising star in the East German Stasi, had been a war criminal for the Nazis, her mother was able to secret both of them to England - but had they truly escaped her father's reach? Outside the Iron Curtain, most governments distrusted immigrants and many families were still bitter towards any Germans, even teen girls born after the war. Defectors weren't welcome unless they had something to offer. Struggling to settle into a place she could call home, she had to closely guard her own secrets while divining those of the people around her. In the end, will the price demanded by those who offered to protect her instead crush her?
How can a young person develop friendships while living a life of lies, fearful that if anyone gets close enough the truth will leak out? The anxiety and depression that comes from never being in control of one's own destiny, then the inevitability that those she can truly rely on will no longer be there.
Robert Hart crafts a masterfully written tale with rich and vivid descriptions of its setting and characters, told in the first person narrative of the teen girl Collette Schmidt. This is not packed with action, as there are slow stretches of character development but which are punctuated by events that continually raise the tension level. As the pages drew shorter in number I was anxious for the conclusion, but over the last few was left in tears, both in remembrance of the pain which had come before and joy in the promise of the future.
How can a young person develop friendships while living a life of lies, fearful that if anyone gets close enough the truth will leak out? The anxiety and depression that comes from never being in control of one's own destiny, then the inevitability that those she can truly rely on will no longer be there.
Robert Hart crafts a masterfully written tale with rich and vivid descriptions of its setting and characters, told in the first person narrative of the teen girl Collette Schmidt. This is not packed with action, as there are slow stretches of character development but which are punctuated by events that continually raise the tension level. As the pages drew shorter in number I was anxious for the conclusion, but over the last few was left in tears, both in remembrance of the pain which had come before and joy in the promise of the future.
May 25, 2023
After being used by MI6 in England to lure out communist agents and after her true identity is discovered they are sent to Australia to keep the safe from her dangerous father, Colette and her mother have to learn to live under different circumstances of the ones they are used to. But the days of tranquility are not in the past, Colette is being forced to spy on the immigrant community using her language skills in order to keep being safe.
Will these new reality endangered Colette, physically and mentally, or will she rise to the challenge?
New friendships with a school friend, an old Russian emigre and a First World War Scottish soldier helps her in these difficult times.
She learns a lot about her mother's past and what she did while in the concentration camp.
The ending of the book ties up the plot of the book while at the same time leaving us with wanting more of the story.
Will these new reality endangered Colette, physically and mentally, or will she rise to the challenge?
New friendships with a school friend, an old Russian emigre and a First World War Scottish soldier helps her in these difficult times.
She learns a lot about her mother's past and what she did while in the concentration camp.
The ending of the book ties up the plot of the book while at the same time leaving us with wanting more of the story.
October 13, 2025
Through Different Eyes by Robert Hart is a beautifully written, deeply affecting story that blends history, espionage, and personal identity into one unforgettable journey. From the first chapter, I was completely drawn into Colette (Col) Schmidt’s world, a young girl caught in the chaos of the Cold War, fleeing a past shadowed by her father’s dark legacy as a Nazi war criminal.
What truly stands out in this novel is how Hart captures the emotional complexity of living with secrets. As Col and her mother resettle in England, the tension between truth and survival becomes palpable. Every small lie feels like it could unravel everything, and the reader can’t help but feel the weight of her guilt and fear. Yet, amidst the suspense and political intrigue, there’s a delicate portrayal of hope, humanity, and the search for belonging.
What truly stands out in this novel is how Hart captures the emotional complexity of living with secrets. As Col and her mother resettle in England, the tension between truth and survival becomes palpable. Every small lie feels like it could unravel everything, and the reader can’t help but feel the weight of her guilt and fear. Yet, amidst the suspense and political intrigue, there’s a delicate portrayal of hope, humanity, and the search for belonging.
May 29, 2023
Robert Hart does a great job in creating this story, it had everything that I was looking for. The characters were what I was looking for from this type of book, it had everything that I was hoping for and am glad I read this.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 15, 2025
A gripping and emotional read! This story of young Colette’s escape from her father’s dark past during the Cold War is both powerful and heartfelt. The tension between secrecy, friendship, and survival is beautifully written, pulling you right into her world. A truly moving tale of courage, identity, and the cost of truth impossible to put down!
September 25, 2025
This is not just a Cold War spy story—it’s a deeply human story about guilt, identity, and resilience. Col’s inner conflict felt so real, and her friendships gave the novel a beating heart amid the intrigue. The writing is superb, and the atmosphere of fear and suspicion was masterfully done.
June 27, 2023
This was different to what I expected. Firstly, it can be read as a standalone and is engaging right from the beginning. An excellent read with lots of twists. There is both mystery and adventure mixed into this tale of escape from behind the Iron Curtain. The realism expressed focusses on the cold war atrocities with an extremely accurate depiction. There are a lot of emotional moments and some political shenanigans. The immoral behavior of government employees is paramount as is the compassion of everyday citizens. Col is more mature than her years and has a quick brain that helps her manoeuvre through the obstacles, particularly those placed by the intelligence agency. Well recommended especially for those who want to move on from WW2 stories.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews