Secret Father

by James Carroll

It is 1961. Khrushchev is hurling threats, a U.S. spy plane has been shot down over the Soviet Union, tensions are rising. Berlin has been cut off from the West: it’s only a matter of weeks until the Wall will be erected. The United States and Americans abroad face dangers they had never imagined. Against this backdrop, the best-selling novelist and historian James Carroll tells an unforgettable love story that illuminates a key moment in history with the passions of those who lived it.
Three teenagers from an American school in West Germany travel to Berlin to join a May Day rally on the Communist side of the divided city. Propelled by nadve ideals and in rebellion against preordained futures, they stumble into the center of an international incident. Paul, the father of one of the boys, and Charlotte, the elegant German-born mother of another, set off to rescue their children from the East German Stasi, which has detained them. Over the course of a weekend, Paul and Charlotte struggle with personal secrets, growing passion, and the weight of a generation that survived World War II only to face the loss of its children to the engulfing paranoia of the Cold War.
Secret Father inexorably pulls the reader into the heart of flashpoint Berlin. In this powerful tale, missed signals, cloaked motives, false postures, and panicked responses echo tragically across borders and generations.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Espionage, Thriller, Ebooks, Contemporary

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

James Carroll was born in Chicago and raised in Washington, D.C. He has been a civil rights worker, an antiwar activist, and a community organizer in Washington and New York. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1969 and served as Catholic chaplain at Boston University. Carroll left the priesthood to become a novelist and playwright. He lives in Boston with his wife, the novelist Alexandra Marshall, and their two children.

Reviews

[Steve Chaput · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s an old fashion feel to this novel, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For folks of a certain generation I’d be tempted to sum it up in part as “The Adventures of Spin & Marty in Berlin”. An over simplification, for sure, but in the early parts of the novel it captures the sense of innocents abroad.

It’s also interesting that Carroll uses the old Reader’s Digest column “The Most Unusual Character I’ve Met” as sort of a running gag, since except for a few ‘F’ bombs tossed around by the kids, it really wouldn’t be hard to see this entire novel printed in one of those Reader’s Digest Condensed Books that my mother used to have laying around the house. There is barely any sex in the book, and when it appears it isn’t anything along the lines of a Jackie Collins bedroom scene. Like I said early on, this is an old fashioned book with a dated sensibility.

Carroll takes us back to Berlin, Germany in 1961, just before The Wall went up and moved the Cold War to another level. Paul Montgomery, a widower working for Chase Bank in Germany, worries about his son Michael, just like any father. However, in Michael’s case there are also the crippling effects of his childhood polio which have left him more vulnerable in his father’s eyes. Michael doesn’t wish to use his handicap to gain the sympathy of others, and would rather be accepted for who he has become.

When Michael, his friend Ulrich and their fellow schoolmate Katherine ‘Kit’ Carson decide to head to Berlin to see the May Day parade in East Berlin things go terribly wrong. Ulrich, whose father works in the intelligence gathering section of the U.S. Army, brings with him secrets, both knowingly and unknowingly, which endanger far more than three teenagers on holiday. When the kids disappear it is up to Paul and Ulrich’s mother, Charlotte (herself carrying more than her share of secrets) to try and bring the children back safely.

Carroll breaks the story into two parts, moving the narration from the elder Montgomery to Michael as the plot becomes more and more complicated. Writing from the perspective of three decades of hindsight father and son see events unfolding from their own points of view. Since we know that father and son still are around to tell the tale we have to wonder who else in the novel might not be around to see the final chapter.

Carroll’s title, as we discover, has several interpretations as secrets are revealed about several fathers in the tale. He brings to life not only his characters, but also the time in which the story unfolds. While he’s no Le Carre, Carroll is still able to create the atmosphere which must have hung over Berlin in that particular time. It’s no wonder that Carroll is so widely respected, he makes the whole thing seem easy, and the early chapters narrated by Michael read like something you’d find in the Young Adult section of your local library or bookstore.

[Claudia Putnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a while ago and can't remember if it's 4 or 5 stars, but it influenced my thinking on the context for the construction of the Berlin Wall (the West having played much more of a role than you think). It does well with the relationship between fathers and sons. 5 for the way it's stayed with me.

[Cold War Conversations Podcast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good twists and turns, but problems with detailed research. The book mentions the Berlin TV Tower as existing in 1961. It wasn't started until 1965 and completed in 1969.

Apart from that a gripping book after a slowish start that held my attention to the end.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admire James Carroll's grasp of the historical facts and complicated moral and cultural nuances of the Vietnam War and the Cold War, and appreciate his attempts to deliver these things in a non-history major friendly way (ie, a novel). The first part of this novel works very well as a historical thriller- lots of tension, father-son relationship exploration, etc. It all falls apart though, with action that seems to lead to a fizzle, rather than any shocking bang, slightly uncomfortable sex scenes, and weird emotional illogic. (The last couple of sentences I actually had to make sure I was reading the same book I'd started off with).

So read this book for a particular slant on the Cold War, or, in particular, for the sense of place it gives to Post World War 2 Germany and the US Military culture there- but not so much for the literary merits, I am afraid.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been stationed in West Berlin during the late 1970's and being able to picture riding the duty train in, as the characters in this book do, this story was irresistible! Three teenagers from an American high school in Wiesbaden decide to take a fun trip (without the knowledge of their parents) to Berlin for the May Day celebration in 1961, just before the Berlin Wall went up. (May Day is a celebration both for the Communist Party and for Labor Activists around the world.) The instigator of the trip is the adopted son of an American general, who is the head of the American intelligence community in Germany, and when they go to cross into the Russian Sector (soon to be East Berlin) he is set up with cash in his bag to make it look like he is planning to bring money in to black market on the exchange in the east. All three kids are arrested, and the rest of the book is about the attempts of their parents to free them. The narrative goes back and forth between one of the other teens, and his father, an American banker working in Frankfurt. The adopted son of the general was born in Leipzig, and his German father has a history which has caused his mother and the general to try to hide his identity. Discovering this story makes up a good deal of the intrigue of the tale. I found the story totally engrossing, although perhaps it is partly because of my own history with Berlin and the intelligence community.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a difficult novel to read/ to understand. Focused on May 1, 1961, “The Silent Father” is narrated by a father, who works for Chase Bank, and his son, Americans living in Germany. Ignorant of post war German history, I was confused by terms used for various political groups and their positions and alliances.
Someone more versed in 20th century European history and more patient than I, i.e. Bill Reveille, might really enjoy this thriller.

[Tyler Van]

Secret Father is a suspenseful drama of family and politics set in Cold War Berlin. Missed signals, cloaked motives, false postures, and panicked responses echo tragically across borders and generations when, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a father and son recount the tense events of nearly thirty years before.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like his last book, the narrators spent too much time filling backstories for the characters instead of just making the story the truth of the book. But if you can get past those 70 pages, the story itself is good.

[Rosanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful surprise. A book of parents and children, youth and age, East and West. A story of teenagers who vitis East Germany.

[Mary Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another fine novel in which James Carroll deals with difficult questions and their necessarily difficult answers.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first James Carroll novel and I loved it. Excellent writing, complicated plot, beautifully developed characters - all good. One of my favorite books of all time.

[Leslie Ligon]

Very well written. I learned a lot. A bit confusing when he switches from the father's voice to the son's, & time changes. But, still, good.

[Jamie Magee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captures the feelings I had as a student in Germany in the 1980s and '90s, artfully contrasts the Berlin Wall going up and coming down.

[Efranken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berlin wall, US kids, thriller

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This offering from James Carroll pushed all the right buttons: A compelling story, interesting characters, crisp and sometimes memorable writing. Even better, I'm familiar with the events and place after having lived in Wiesbaden (the Russian Chapel was visible from our apartment) and elsewhere in Germany during the Cold War and the construction of the Berlin Wall. The pace and tension remind me of those days. Almost all of the details are perfect. The only thing I didn't like was the changing point of view. Breaking the book into separate parts didn't help. Carroll sent me backwards for clarity. I stayed up until the wee hours to finish this, and it was worth it. This is the fourth or fifth book by Carroll I've read. Not one has disappointed. Military brats, especially those who spent time in Germany, will love this.

"The flukes of history make us love it, but also fear it."

"I recognize the infinite gap that stood between me and Ulrich at that moment as an instance of the gap separating innocent Americans from Europeans who had been crushed and crushed again, and then again. We Americans, astride the world, knew nothing."

"When language fails, longing takes over."

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading 'Secret Father'. The first part of the novel was a bit slow and the narrative confusing at first; changing between Michael and his father's point of view. I didn't particularly like Michael's fathers narrative. I found it rather boring discussing the past losses suffered by him.

At first I found Ulrich annoying. As the story continued on, I felt rather sorry for him as he never realized how much his father cared for him. His search for belonging was very real.

I really enjoyed the last quarter of the book. It was so exciting and suspenseful, I could hardly put it down. I did find the last page and sentence truly heartbreaking.

All in all, 'Secret Father' is a well written book. My true rating is 3.5, but there are no half stars.

[miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm tempted to give 4 stars are for the writer's craft and an engaging story that is hard to put down; but this book did not move me the way other 4-star books have and I have settled on a 3. The setting is the Cold War in the 1950s, just before the Soviets closed off travel between East and West Berlin. Three teenagers travel to Berlin on a lark and are arrested, and theirs is a story of confusion as well as maturation. But this book is as much about their parents and the histories and emotions exposed during a tense and anxious search for a way to retrieve their children. Carroll's familiarity with the setting and attitudes of the time lend realism to the story.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1961 in Berlin, the story follows 3 teenagers who go to East Berlin for a big Commie rally. International incident happens, and oh by the way the one kid is the son of a major political figure - can't remember if he was a spy or military (maybe both?) - I actually read this about 4 years ago, but I just found it in my car and wanted to capture it because just seeing the cover brought back the feeling I had of loving reading it. And my friend loved it too - so clearly I need to re-read it!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very readable novel that was part thriller and part father-son relationship analysis in the historical context of 1960's Berlin, right before the wall was built. The book started a little slowly and then became more interesting as more details of the mystery were revealed. The ending felt a little unsatisfying, perhaps because it tried to tie together too many loose ends in too little time. I did like how the metaphor of spying and lack of trust applied to both personal and political relationships.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to read about a time in my lifetime that was real. We worried about communists all the time when I was a kid! I liked the characters, the father and Michael and Kit and Ulrich. Sometimes it was a little hard to follow all the detail to their thoughts and reactions to each other...that part was very well done, as this author can do. I did not like the very ending so much, the last paragraph. There is all kinds of love and I think love was there through out the marriage.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It kept my interest. I enjoyed the historical setting and backdrop of Berlin right before the wall went up. I liked the parts where the teenager narrated rather than the parts when the father did. The beginning was slow. The ending was good. I thought some parts got boring and the love story between the adults was contrived.

[Jeanne Cassin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful novel set(mostly)in Berlin in the early 60's, just before the wall went up. Very hard to put down!

[Arlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Nan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though this one is as compelling as a mass-market page-turner, it is anything but formulaic, and it doesn't depend on a reader's latent paranoia to sustain interest.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read from this author. I enjoyed it. Look forward to reading more of his work.

[PreppyPrincess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A struggle to get through at points, it is one of the most profoundly sad books I have read.

[Vicki Mollenauer]

The writing is good, but the story just wasn't going anywhere for me. I couldn't finish this one.

[Nooilforpacifists · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars really, because some characters seemed flat.