The Others

by Sheena Kalayil

A powerful story of passion, betrayal, and the forces that shape our fate, against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

It is 1989, and in a small Baltic city in East Germany, the Deutsche Demokratische Republik, three young people from vastly different backgrounds become friends. Armando is a factory worker from Mozambique, Lolita is a medical student from India, and Theo is an East Berliner who dreams of being a writer. When Armando and Lolita make a grisly discovery, they find themselves caught up in the politics of Theo’s homeland more than ever before. While a quiet revolution sweeps through Eastern Europe, and the Berlin Wall teeters, the three find themselves entangled in a poignant love triangle which threatens their futures. As the world order shifts, their three lives are bound together in a web of love, lies and fears, leaving each irrevocably changed.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical, Contemporary, Germany, Politics

340 pages, Paperback

First published June 19, 2025

Reviews

[Daniel Shindler · Rating 5 out of 5]

“ He has seen women like her, dark women, when his grandfather took him to France…Moroccans, Lebanese. And even darker:Senegalese, Ivorians. Here, however, he feels starved of any connection with the outside world, and the girl he has seen is definitely from the outside world. She has floated into this monochromatic landscape from a land that bursts with color.”

THE OTHERS is a novel of political, personal and emotional displacement that is set in an intersectional landscape. The woman referenced in the above passage is Lolita. She is a medical student from India.The person describing her is Theo, an aspiring writer born in the Soviet section of Berlin. They both are in an entangled relationship with Armando, a contract factory worker from Mozambique. The monochromatic landscape is the German Democratic Republic, which is infused with color by both Lolita and Armando.These three twentysometings live in a small Baltic city in 1989, during the time when the GDR’s collapse is imminent.

Lolita and Armando are marked as outsiders by pigmentation and culture in the unrelenting environment of their new country. Theo is marked as an outsider by his politics. The two young men are respectful rivals for Lolita’s affections. A strength of the novel is the development of this three sided relationship against the backdrop of a crumbling political structure. The author captures the chaos of a failing government and filters events through the emotions of three young adults who often think that their feelings and needs are more pressing than the chaos of the history that envelops their lives. The result is a depiction of restrained romance amidst impending changes that will alter each one’s existence.

However, the novel’s main thrust is political. During an excursion to the beach, Armando and Lolita make a startling discovery which skews the relationship of all three youngsters and thrusts them into the orbit of government scrutiny. Each of the trio begins to focus on their relationship to the government, their individual outsider status and their future prospects. Each has experienced a modicum of “ freedom” in their new lives and now are confronted with the restraints inherent in their regimented society.

Thus the novel transforms into a saga of people marginalized by history and illustrates the complexities of their lives. They are attempting to define their space in the midst of a hostile, turbulent world. The loss of a homeland and the struggles to keep dreams and integrity intact are reminiscent of thematic strands in the novels of Abdulrazak Gurnah.

“She has floated into this monochromatic landscape from a land that bursts with color.” For me, this sentence is a metaphor for the diaspora and culture shifts that are occurring between Third World countries and established Western nations. The shape, form and tint of the world’s color palette is in flux and remains unresolved.The only certainty is that our geopolitical world will look very different than it does today.

[Darryl Suite · Rating 5 out of 5]

“And it's always at this point, the point of change, that we must take greatest care.”


This rocked. I really really really hope this makes the Women’s Prize shortlist. A mesmerizing love triangle set against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It’s cleverly done without sacrificing the romances or the political calamities. We follow three twentysomethings who are caught in messy entanglements yet find themselves inadvertently pulled into the dangers of the political climate surrounding them. It kicks off with a beach date ending badly. This turn of events spearheads eventual betrayals, insecurities, and deep-rooted paranoia.


All three main characters are richly drawn; each with their own particular goals and moral compasses. Armando (my fave character) is a Mozambican factory worker who yearns to spend more time with his young child. Lolita is an Indian medical student who is trying to forge her own path. Theo is an East German mechanic who dreams of being a published writer and resents being closed off from West Germany and the rest of the world. These characters are truly good-natured, but they’re also self-destructive. Lots of their issues are due to their lack of communication; they keep their inner secrets close to their chests, which can make for frustrating reading experiences at times. Then again, their trust issues make sense considering they’re living in a time where being too open can get you into loads of trouble.


Even though I knew quite a bit about DDR/GDR and the Western Bloc, this book illuminated stuff that I had never even considered. It was interesting to learn how these divisions affected immigrants and expats. I’d only been informed of how it affected Germans, but this book provided well-rounded insight, highlighting the other communities who also called this place home. For example: I never knew that after the fall of the Berlin Wall, only East German citizens were allowed to go into West Germany; immigrants had to stay behind during that momentous time in history.


This novel was so immersive in several ways. Not only was I invested in these characters and their messy romantic shenanigans, I also felt the claustrophobic nature of the political climate at all times. There were a lot of tense, nail-biting moments. The book did not shy away from danger, prejudice, intimidation, and oppression. Thought this was a total knockout.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 1989, and the lives of three young people intersect in a small Baltic city in the GDR/DDR. Lolita and Armando are both immigrants in East Germany: Lolita is an Indian medical student, drawn to the GDR to avoid the fees and bribes necessary to study in Bombay [Mumbai], and Armando, from Mozambique, works in a printing factory as part of a deal between the East German government and the Mozambican state. (As Katja Hoyer's Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990 taught me, guest workers came to the GDR not only from Mozambique, but from Cuba, Algeria, Poland, Hungary, Vietnam and Angola, among others; the intention was that they should learn a skill and return home with seed capital that would help develop their country's economy. In the case of the Mozambicans, this promise was broken; they were deported after the Wall fell, and the Mozambican government kept the money that they were owed.) Theo, meanwhile, is East German, barred from higher education because of his refusal to be recruited by the Stasi, so works in a garage by day and writes fiction by night.

I was impressed by the quiet power of Sheena Kalayil's The Others. It's old-fashioned in a good way, trusting the reader to stay with the narrative as we slowly get to know the three protagonists rather than relying on anything high-concept or flashy. By the end, I truly cared about all of the characters, even Theo, who is the most morally problematic. I also appreciated how Kalayil showed that the fall of the Berlin Wall was not unequivocally welcomed by everybody living in the GDR. For Theo, this is a liberation, but for Lolita and, especially, Armando, it makes the future much more uncertain, as many migrant workers want to stay in the state rather than to leave it. 4.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher for review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

I loved this, it’s shot to #2 on my personal ranking of the 2026 Women’s Prize longlist.

It was the most beautiful mix of love and history, in a setting with positionalities I’ve never read about. I was unaware that there was a labour agreement between Mozambique and East Germany before the wall fell (an extractive agreement, unsurprisingly), and learning about the madjermanes was incredibly interesting.

The yearning and the romance was on point too, just the kind of 20something story I love to read. There was also a good amount of mystery and tension. A fantastic book, and I hope it’s shortlisted.

[Patrycja Krotowska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powieść z obecnej długiej listy Women's Prize for Fiction. "The Others" Sheeny Kalayil, brytyjskiej pisarki o indyjskich korzeniach, urodzonej w Zambii.

Świetnie mi się czytało! Pierwsza połowa zachwyca - kontekst imigrancki, krajobraz NRD na chwilę przed jej końcem oraz trójka (a nawet czwórka) ludzi z zupełnie różnych światów, uwikłanych w miłość. Sugestywne obrazy życia pod presją systemu splatają się w tej powieści w wielowymiarową opowieść o niepewności i napięciu, które przenikały codzienność w Niemieckiej Republice Demokratycznej. W tle stale obecny jest cień Stasi, którego działalność buduje atmosferę podejrzeń i półszeptem przekazywanych oskarżeń.

I w tej rzeczywistości spotykają się losy trójki bohaterów: robotnika kontraktowego z Mozambiku, studentki medycyny z Indii oraz Niemca wychowanego w realiach socjalistycznego państwa. Ich obecność w powieści nie tylko poszerza perspektywę społeczną, ale też ukazuje napięcia i nierówności wpisane w system, w którym los jednostki łatwo może zostać uwikłany w mechanizmy kontroli i polityki. Relacje bohaterów stopniowo się komplikują, a osobiste uczucia splatają się z doświadczeniem życia w systemie naznaczonym kontrolą i niepewnością. Dzięki temu powieść nie tylko opowiada o - upraszaczając - trójkącie miłosnym, ale również zyskuje wyraźny kontekst migracyjny, pokazując życie w NRD z wielu perspektyw.

Druga połowa zwalnia tempo fabularne i emocjonalne, a ostatnie wydarzenia wydają mi się nieco pośpieszne, ale mimo to całość zasługuje na solidne 4/5. Świetne otwarcie longlisty WPF!

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember 1989 when we thought we were (as the song says) watching the world wake up from history? If only! Anyway, this book takes us behind the curtain to the last days of the DDR, when the oppressive surveillance of the Stasi was very real, but the DDR also offered a kind of haven to some, including Mozambiquen guest workers, one of who is a protagonist here. The book's interwined love stories held less interest for me than the group of fascinating characters, each of whom has made a life that might not be better when the Wall comes down. A really great encapsulation of a place and a time.

[Beth McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautifully written story, with politics cleverly woven in. Following the stories of three completely different characters was incredible. This was written with such detail, and every word felt carefully thought through. The character development and the storyline between the three and how they are woven together effortlessly was amazing. This was my first historical fiction book in a LONG time, and it has opened my eyes to a new genre completely. Since reading, I've read a handful more historical fiction!

[Sam France · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nearly lost me through the third quarter - I loved the first 200 pages then found myself losing interest towards the end, but the final section is really nice. There are some tics in the writing which grate a little, but overall a good read.

[amy williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book ticked allllllllll of my boxes 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ we have a new contender for fave book of the year (still early days!) and this is my favourite from the women's prize longlist so far (5 down, 11 to go though!). i really really hope it makes the shortlist, but 4/5 i've read so far have been bangers, so the standard is looking rather high!

in short: a nail-biting love triangle set against the backdrop of the fall of the berlin wall. despite it being 400 pages and a rather emotionally and politically fraught read, i zoomed through it and just couldn't put it down. it was also such an eye-opener about the experience of immigrants who relocated to the GDR at this time to work and how they were treated by the wider population.

it was just so absorbing, and the three different narratives were perfectly weaved together 🙂‍↕️ will be thinking about this book for a while!

[Connie Dimsdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I really liked the historical context of life in the DDR and the fall of the wall but wish there had been more of that and less of the creepy male obsession with the Lolita character.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ⭐️’s

I'll be honest, this one took me a while to get through. I could only get it on my Kindle, which never helps, but mostly I just wasn't that interested.

And that's a shame because there's something here. The history, the undercurrents of challenging love (what young love isn't?), the sense that these lives are brushing up against something much larger than themselves. I was especially drawn to the historical elements and found myself wishing the book developed into them more, stayed there longer, trusted that depth. I wanted to know the impact of that time on a more overt level.

Instead the narrative feels fragmented, at times it read almost juvenile to me. We move between threads and perspectives, but they didn't deepen enough to create the impact I think the book was going for.

The final section with Clara was interesting and I appreciated what it was trying to do structurally. It opens the story outward, almost suggesting a pattern beyond the individual lives we've been following. But it also arrives late, asking for investment right as the book is ending.

What didn't work for me was the lack of emotional closure. I don't need everything tied up neatly, but I do want to feel like the story has landed somewhere. Here, it felt like we were cut off midstream, especially with a central relationship that carried so much weight.

I became more invested in the second half, but I was never quite sure where to put my energy. I see the value in what this book is doing. It just didn't gel for me the way some of the others on this longlist have.

[LindaJ^ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because it is on the 2026 women's prize for fiction long list. For me, it is one of the better books on the list. This involves history I lived through in my 30's. The days of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Mikhail Gorbachev; the downfall of the Soviet Union; and the democratization of the soviet satellites. The focus here is on East Germany.

Amando is a guest worker from Mozambique, Lolita is a medical student from India, Theo is an East German working as a mechanic after losing his opportunity to attend university because he declined an invitation from the Stasi to join them. A love triangle develops as the world changes around them. Each is impacted by the change.

There are some weak spots - too much time spent on sex when the meat of the story is the impact of the changing political situation on their lives and what control, if any, they have.

The final section, called Clara, provides a glimpse of what happened to our triangle and some surrounding bodies. Not sure if that added to the story, although it was good to get some answers.

[Elli Flitton · Rating 4 out of 5]

very beautiful!! definitely not a quick read even though its only 300ish pages, but I really enjoyed reading it slowly and taking my time with the characters. I also knew nothing about the DDR so the setting was really interesting too

[Esther Zweifel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much

[Alice Bartholomew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsessed!!!!! Each narrative was interweaved effortlessly, HOOKED from beginning to end. Love

[Emilie Deram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe a 3.5? I really liked the first part but then it just kind of meh and that ending was not for me. Theo pretty much ruined the whole thing. I wish it would've been less about the romance

[J Fearnley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love triangle set against the backdrop of the DDR/GDR (the Deutsche Demokratische Republik or German Democratic Republic, they are interchangeable, commonly referred to as East Germany), it’s 1989 and the wall is about to fall. But, wait, we are getting ahead of ourselves. None of our protagonists know this, so let’s get to the story.
Lolita is a medical student from India she is being taught at a hospital in a town near the Baltic coastline. A fellow student, Max, suggests a party in LK, on the outskirts of the town, and a bunch of them go. She meets Armando there. He lives in the compound of a printing factory where he works. He tells her about the Sonderbar a place he often goes. They are getting to know each other over time as they meet at the Sonderbar and then other places like the trip to the beach with Armando and his daughter Clara. Armando is a contract worker from Mozambique. Clara lives with her mother and Armando sees her on a weekly basis, he wants to be in her life as much as possible.
As time goes on they become more attracted to each other and want to be together. What with Lolita’s work, Armando’s work, his desire to stay in contact with Clara and the fact that they don’t often spend much time together alone. The trip to the beach happened after several months it was the first time they were to be together all day. Clara was with them. But it was on this trip that they saw a person in the sea, Armando went in to help but the young man he brought back was already dead. The police had taken over. The incident had shaken them bringing them too close to the reality of life in the DDR and with it the need to keep secrets.
Theo meets Lolita at the hospital he is immediately smitten with her. Theo is working as a mechanic, lives with his Grandfather and writes in his spare time. He pursues Lolita and since her relationship with Armando has for various reasons cooled somewhat his persistence seems to be working and they go on a few dates.
It is Theo’s story that brings home to the reader how the lives of East German citizens are controlled. He is from East Berlin where his parents still live. The reason for moving to live with his Grandfather, Rainer, all too clearly demonstrates how life is controlled by the authorities. His grandfather Rainer’s story is also interesting and gives further insight into what it was like in the DDR. Theo’s experience has left him disillusioned with the ideology of his homeland.
Lolita, Armando and Theo’s lives become tangled up. Lolita takes Theo to meet friends. They go to the Sonderbar together to an open mic evening when Theo reads some of his work and he meets Armando. The men recognise each other as rivals and yet there’s a sense that under different circumstances there might have been a friendship but would they have met otherwise, other than because of Lolita probably not.
As time goes on Armando becomes caught up with what he fears is a Stasi investigation. He is worried about losing access to Clara, of the possibility of being sent back to his war torn homeland of Mozambique.
Things begin to shift, borders are being opened, the wall is about to fall and the government collapse. Lolita and Theo go to East Berlin. Armando risks everything and follows. Everything changes.
What a stunning story Sheena Kalayil has written you cannot but become captivated by it and caught up in the lives of these three young people. The setting is fascinating and well drawn. As ever I go down a rabbit hole of my own as I learnt in this book, for example, about the contract workers. The main characters are lovable yet often annoying at the same time and other characters like Rainer, Joachim, the Micke’s and Petra. Petra, Clara’s mother, a journalist who suffers violent consequences of the badly handled aftermath of the collapse and desire for change.
How will it turn out? Will there be a happy ever after? We get a conclusion, yes, we also have the final section which I was delighted to find gives a glimpse into the future. However, this is a multi layered story of love, of life under a suppressive regime, of different cultures meeting, of fear, joy and the consequence of secrets. The story that Kalayil has written seeps into your heart and steals a little of it away.

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn’t enjoy this, was quite bored actually. It was really difficult to be invested in the characters. It started off well and I thought we’d get a romance against a well explained historical backdrop but then there was no feeling or emotion from the characters. Way too much unimportant sex scenes that didn’t add anything to the story

Armando (from Mozambique, living in East Berlin working in a factory) is on a beach date with Lolita (Indian trainee doctor) when they pull a body out of the water. It belongs to someone trying to escape the DDR (east Berlin stasi)
Armando and Lolita date for a while whilst Armando is threatened by the stasi for what he knows. He also had a daughter called Clara with a German woman called Petra. He has to stay in Germany for Clara so doesn’t want to be expelled for being an immigrant so keeps his head down. Then this random dude Theo enters the story, Lolita has a thing with him. Then she goes back to Armando. This was all a bit odd.
Then the Berlin Wall comes down, Petra is attacked. Then Armando ends up marrying her and Lolita goes back to India. Final chapter we learn that Armando and family moved back to Mozambique. Theo tracks down a much older Clara since her parents have died. Theo wants to get back in touch with Lolita. He meets Clara and he tells him about them being love rivals. She encourages him to get in touch with Lolita.

I didn’t care for any of the characters, I didn’t learn much about the history of real events. I’ve read much better stories based around this time period in east Berlin.

[Quita Van Der Bijl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drie mooi geschreven karakters met allemaal een eigen achtergrond verhaal.
En pluspunten voor een verhaal die tenminste niet een overduidelijk goed einde gaat hebben, waarbij alles ineens goed uitpakt. Maakt het een stuk realistischer

[Xaanua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nueva lectura de la longlist de los Women Prize Award. Un libro que pensé que no me iba a gustar porque al principio parecía estar centrado en una historia de amor entre Armando y Lolita, pero finalmente, la historia de amor entre ellos no es el foco de la historia, ya que el centro de la historia es la vida de dos ciudadanos extranjeros en el último año de vida de la DDR. La historia arranca cuando Armando y Lolita pasan un día en la playa con Clara, la hija de Armando. Lolita y Armando llevan tiempo saliendo: ella es estudiante de medicina y es natural de India, él mozambiqueño, trabaja en una fábrica cuyo jefe Joachim, le aconseja y le ayuda en todo lo que puede. Ese día Armando rescata el cuerpo sin vida de un hombre. En principio llamado Tommy, pero finalmente natural de Alemania. Ese día unos policías los interrogan. Y aunque Armando habla mejor alemán que ella, él se lleva la peor parte. Él se obsesiona con que puede perder a su hija y eso acaba separándole a él y a Lolita. En ese tiempo de separación surge la figura de Theo, un escritor, que acabará escribiendo sobre Lolita y Armando, y sobre lo vivido en Alemania en esos años finales de la DDR.Y aunque Lolita Armando acabarán encontrando su camino para volver a encontrarse, la situación tras la caída del muro cambia. Y para permanecer en el país va a ser necesario tener cierto arraigo: familia, y eso sin contar con la tensión y desconfianza que se instala entre la población.
Es una historia que habla de los emigrantes, los que viajaban a estudiar a DDR y a de aquellos que trabajaban, en condiciones precarias en las fábricas. También, es interesante como la autora escribe al personaje de Petra, la ex pareja de Ramón. Ella se siente sola, y se nota que sigue enamorada de su ex, al que permite ocuparse de la hija de ambos, y que teme que la presencia de otra mujer afecte a su hija. Petra es un personaje independiente, fuerte e interesante. Y aunque no conocemos su punto de vista, gracias a las perspectivas de Ramón y Lolita conocemos más detalles sobre ella. Otro personaje interesante es el de Ramón: el jefe de Armando, un hombre justo y que trata de ayudar en todo a sus empleados. En algunos momentos se puede el lector imaginar que es gay, debido a la reiteración de que no se le conoce pareja. Aunque eso no es lo interesante de él, sino su forma de ayudar y de cuidar de su gente, de sus trabajadores.
En cuanto a Lolita y Armando, protagonistas de la historia y a los que se debe el nombre de The others, son personajes que se compenetran y que parecen amarse, aunque también son personas independientes y con objetivos distintos: Armando prioriza a su hija, la seguridad y bienestar de ella, el no perderla y al final acaba entendiendo la importancia de la figura de Petra en la vida de ésta, y Lolita: acaba eligiendo desarrollar su sueño, volcarse en la atención a las personas. Además, ambos son personas inseguras y algo celosas, él de Theo y ella de Petra. Pese a esos celos, ambos son personas honestas y que cuidan de sus seres queridos.
En cuanto a Theo y Clara, se puede decir que son los protagonistas en la sombra y los que nos cuentan que fue de cada uno de los personajes al final. El personaje de Theo, admirador de Tolstói, regala las reflexiones más interesantes sobre el papel de la literatura y sobre el devenir de Alemania tras la caída del muro.
La historia está contada en primera persona desde la perspectiva de Armando y Lolita, y en algunos momentos desde la perspectiva de Theo. El estilo es bello, delicado y reflexivo. Para ella es importante transmitir lo que piensan y sienten los personajes en cada momento e incluso va dando cierta información histórica para contextualizar el momento histórico en que se sitúan. Una historia recomendable, que va ganando en profundidad a medida que avanza la historia.

[John Waites · Rating 4 out of 5]

A love triangle unfolding in the closing chapter of the German Democratic Republic—1989, history is seconds from breaking open.

Set in 1989 East Germany, The Others follows Armando (Mozambique), Lolita (India), and Theo (East Germany) as their lives tangle in a quiet, emotionally charged love triangle—while an entire country shifts beneath their feet. And that quiet, looming shift hums beneath every moment.

Told through alternating first-person perspectives, this reads like stepping directly into their inner worlds—intimate, restrained, and quietly devastating. The writing is soft but precise, more interested in what’s felt than what’s said, and it works.

But this isn’t just about love. It’s about being seen as “other.” About survival under a system that decides your worth. About what it means to choose—when your options are either endless… or almost nonexistent.

It’s layered, reflective, and deeply human. Not explosive, but absorbing in a way that sneaks up on you.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
I found this a compelling and educative read and although the pace seemed slow at times it is appropriate for the story. The characters are realistic and empathetic although some male reviewers have found them unbelievable. They do feel a bit too much like plot devices at times. Lolita was very well portrayed and Petra became more understandable as it went on. I learned a lot about life in the old DDR and thought the ending tied everything up well. The plight of migrant workers and racism are major themes

[Annette Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expertly realised characters, a gripping, well structured plot and vivid descriptions of life under an oppressive regime are cleverly wound together in The Others to depict a tumultuous time for the DDR as well as for each of the characters. Superbly well crafted book. Loved it!

[Hannah Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The history, the characters, the writing. An alternative view of East Germany through the eyes of its marginalised migrant population. A very human and enjoyable read.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring,flat,disjointed.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does a good job of completely immersing you inside the world of the characters - couldn’t help but feel a bit unsatisfied w Lolita’s ending

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, the way the lives of the main characters were so different but woven together by the politics of the time.

[Robin Leggett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love triangle in East Germany

[Tellytub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the writing style!

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last time he saw the man was at the child's birthday party. Amando does not know that he [Theo] sat in the car outside the factory, and then turned around and left. Lolita must have told him that they were coming to Berlin, and Armando must have also sensed what he has sensed: that whatever is happening in the country, whatever is crystallising, it appears this day will also determine what happens to the three of them.

 
Longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction
 
Set in 1989 East Germany (in an unnamed City across the Baltic Sea from Denmark) the novel’s opening chapters tell of the discovery of a body (of someone who has drowned seemingly trying to make that crossing on a surfboard) by two economic immigrants to the DDR:
 
Armando one of a group of Mozambican workers who came to West, most of their wages supposedly held their Civil War wracked country for their eventual return – he works in a local factory under an enlightened factory boss Joachim who lets his African workers stay in decent accommodation.  Armando has an additional anchor in East Germany – a young daughter Clara, the mother Petra (with who he is separated but maintains a cordial-ish relationship) an investigative journalist he met when she came to the factor for a report.
 
Lolita – an Indian born medical student.  The two first met at a party but now meet weekly at a writer/poetry evening at a bar and this is effectively their first attempt at a date (albeit with Clara in tow).
 
The discovery of the body unsettles their relationship – Armando, interrogated by the police at the scene and only too conscious of what he risks if he falls foul of the authorities keen to forget what they saw, Lolita – at least in principle although not in practice to perhaps contact the family of the man (not that she has any lead beyond a first name bracelet) – but both remain drawn to each other in a slow burn type way.  Petra’s concerns over the relationship’s possible impact on Clara, and Lolita’s ambiguity as to if Armando puts her behind both Clara and Petra stall things further.
 
And the third side of what is very much a love triangle book is provided by a native East German – Theo a young wannabe writer who has left his family (and relatively famous playwright Mother) in East Berlin to live with his grandfather Rainer (a Jewish anti-Nazi who moves to the East after partition, remains a card-carrying believer and so enjoys a degree of authority-blessed freedom) – Theo’s own academic progress rather stalled a  few years before when he refused to work for the Stasi  and he is now fixated on the West.  Theo and Lolita meet at first serendipitously and then as he actively seeks her out – and their relationship rather flames into life before fizzling out as it is clear that Lolita still holds something of a torch for Armando.

And as perhaps some of the language in my review implies this is for at least say the first half of the novel a little too much in the romance category for my liking but the novel starts to construct more of a case for its longlist inclusion exactly as the Berlin Wall starts to be deconstructed as we see how that fall impacts on the characters – but with particular interest in Lolita (now in a once advanced medical system quickly being denuded of staff) and Armando (as the fall of the regime uncovers previously suppressed anti-immigrant and racist views).

A particularly strong scene occurs on the night of the Wall’s fall – all three of the protagonists end up in Berlin together but whereas the fall of the Wall allows Theo (who at least has been able to travel to the West before) and more so his East German friends a previously undreamt level of freedom, Armando and Lolita are refused entry to the West as non-citizens – resulting in an irreconcilable breach with Theo but not a mutually happy ending. 
 
An epilogue many decades later has Theo – now a hugely famous novelist - seeking out Clara and us getting a glimpse into what happened after the main novel ended to each character.
 
Overall the political angle did make this interesting – but other than that this was far too much of a conventional relationship story for me and with some fairly clunky sex scenes (the “winking buttocks” image unfortunately one that will remain with me).
 

Many years later, he will be asked, in an interview at a literary festival in Munich, after the publication of his book, which also coincides with the twentieth anniversary of that night, how he felt when the Wall tell: when he was twenty-two-years-old and for the first time in his life he was able to walk into West Berlin, as if the previous twenty-eight years had never happened. He will pause, take a sip trom the glass of water on the low table in front of him and reply, with a grin, with perfect comic timing, and to a burst of laughter from the audience: 'I found it really stressful?  The audience will not know that it is half-truth and half-lie, because that night in early November, as he and his friends walk into the streets of West Berlin, he cannot be sure exactly what he feeling, He could be stressed or anxious to be making a journey that just days earlier could have been fatal or simply, he is already heartbroken. He does not know if he will ever see her again, but he knows he will never be the same again and nothing will ever be the same again. He is leaving her behind, and he is leaving the DDR behind. Like the dead boy had tried to do, the boy they had found in the sea those months ago, that day when he first met her, when she careened out of her residence and set his soul on fire. There is, he supposes, at least some symmetry in the way that today they have been reunited, Lolita and Armando. That they have each other while he is alone, that they are both witnesses as he makes his own escape to the West.