The Berlin Exchange

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Reading this book further solidified in my mind the greatness of the book “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold”, by John Le Carre. In Chapter 5, Stefan reveals that he will call for an end to the arms race at the conference in Geneva. Then he asks Martin, “What do you say to [your son], when he asks someday? Why you do this work? How do you answer him? . . . How would I explain myself? For making these bombs. What explanation could there be? . . . All of us have to answer for it.” How does this affect Martin going forward? Do you think he would have made different decisions if Stefan had nott made it so personal? The hotel was brand-new, located on its own plaza behind the Kino International, a theater with a swooshing curve to its roof, as if it had been streamlined during the trip from Miami. The hotel also had a tropical look, its front faced with blue glazed tiles, like a beach resort. Inside, the lobby furniture was Scandinavian modern, dotted with plants in pots. Anywhere. Yes,” she said, crushing out the cigarette and looking at him. “It’s a good fit. And once that’s right, you always have it.” Well, perhaps. But a bad symbol. There was so much to do after the war. And no money. What do you do? Save the past, patch it up? Or build the future. A socialist society—we had to look ahead. Wait till you see what they’ve done in Alexanderplatz.”

If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. Joseph Kanon is, for my money, the best spy writer working today, an author of rare gifts as a stylist, plotter and creator of characters. He is also the greatest writer ever of historical espionage fiction. . . . He is absolutely worth his place in the pantheon of the greats." — Tim Shipman, Spybrary Your key, Herr Keller,” the manager said. “Welcome to Berlin. There is no other luggage?” Looking at the overnight bag, all he’d been allowed in prison. I can ask again, yes. But you know what they’re like.” He paused. “What do you want to know? About this morning?” One giant building after the other, their long façades broken by numbered entryways and hundreds of windows, not like the dim Hinterhofs of old Berlin, one courtyard behind another. A traffic circle with a fountain.Even worse. State property. Stealing state property. For this foolishness. What were you thinking?” The perfect asset. But you have to have the instinct too.” He looked away. “Imagine that dummkopf Rieger. Not knowing who he is, his own interview.” Over the water now, the wall ahead. Behind it a heavy turn-of-the-century building big enough to have been a government ministry, its façade unscarred by bombs. Massive doors and pediments, built to last. The confident years. Two years. Of course, the way he’s growing now, he may grow out of the part soon.” The proud father.

From “the most accomplished spy novelist working today” ( The Sunday Times, London), a “heart-poundingly suspenseful” ( The Washington Post) espionage thriller set at the height of the Cold War, when a captured American who has spied for the KGB is returned to East Berlin, needing to know who arranged for his release and what they now want from him.A faint nod. “Peter. He’s always known you were his father. We made sure of that. So he’s curious. He thinks you’re a socialist hero.” In chapter 8, Stefan accuses Martin of “having a taste for” espionage, something Sabine and Andrei also echo as Martin’s plan unfurls. Martin denies it each time. Do you believe him? Would his enjoyment of solving the puzzle to save his family invalidate the morality of his actions? Discuss the complexity of mixed motivations in high-stakes circumstances. Martin glanced out the window. Another glass high-rise, dreary in gray Berlin, designed for sun. The socialist experiment, with car and driver. Well, but he’s not a professional. Sabine coaches him, but the reason it’s good is that he’s so natural, a real boy. That’s my theory anyway. Of course he likes having the car, things like that.” A few minutes and he’d be free. Which wasn’t how Digby, the junior warden who’d handled his release, had seen it. “You ask me, it’s changing one prison for another. Different walls, that’s all.” But how could he know, someone who went home at night? “They’re trying to get out over there, not in. You’ll be getting parole soon. You’d have a choice. And who’d choose—?”

Martin’s actions during the war landed him in English prison and would have gotten him executed in America; he feels incredible guilt for helping create weapons that would kill hundreds of thousands of people. Stefan’s decision to call for peace go against the Cold War objectives of East Germany and Russia. Discuss the role that individuals can play in global events and the idea of personal accountability. How are these themes important today? A novel that gives paranoia a new name, Kanon’s latest in a brilliant collection may be his most tightly rendered. The suspense builds quietly, almost stealthily, before tightening its grip. In Chapter 5, Andrei asks Martin to find out his old colleague Stefan’s intentions for the atomic peace conference in Geneva. What is he concerned Stefan will do or say? Why would Stefan leaving East Berlin be bad not only for East Berlin but also for Russia? Almost a laugh, caught in time. Then, when she kept staring, “We don’t have politics. Not like here.” An omnipresent concern of East Germany are the optics of its citizens leaving for the West. Research firsthand accounts of life in East Germany. What aligns with the story and what is different? What is the role of propaganda in building a nation? What are some examples of modern propaganda?The Berlin Exchange, by the veteran spy-story author Joseph Kanon, expertly describes what happens when a disillusioned former agent tries to come in from the cold. . . . Kanon vividly evokes the suspicion, hypocrisy and relentless grayness of life in the East. . . . the plot shifts into high gear and turns into a complex, high-stakes operation in which Martin, thrillingly, is pulling all the strings. He’s one step ahead of his enemies, and three steps ahead of us.” — Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review The guards rushed over to the ambulance, yanking open the door, guns on the driver, slumped forward over the wheel. Now,” McGregor said, beginning to walk. “Not too fast. We want to be there at the same time. When you get to the barrier, they’ll raise it and you keep going. The others will pass you coming out. So nobody’s first. Nobody pulls anything.” For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. If you’d like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial.

Martin's actions during the war landed him in English prison and would have gotten him executed in America; he feels incredible guilt for helping create weapons that would kill hundreds of thousands of people. Stefan's decision to call for peace go against the Cold War objectives of East Germany and Russia. Discuss the role that individuals can play in global events and the idea of personal accountability. How are these themes important today? A tense spy thriller… Kanon balances a convincing portrayal of spycraft with fleshed-out characters, while vividly depicting the impact of secret lives on the loved ones of those engaged in espionage.”The eyes of the Stasi are always watching. Discuss scenes where you noticed characters being careful about what they said, even when the Stasi weren’t mentioned. What did they seem most nervous about discussing and what did that say about the values of East Germany? And Martin soon learns that there are other people in East Berlin from his past, people who want something from him. But Martin comes to want something too, and his careful, determined, long-range mind puts together an audacious plan to get it. An audience darling. He imagined holding the car door for him, his chauffeur, some absurd turnabout. But what had he thought they’d be doing? Playing catch? Going to ball games? A master stylist of concise yet eloquent writing, Kanon recreates the corrupt atmosphere of East Berlin in 1963, to riveting effect… Kanon’s books are a gold mine for lovers of espionage…Fans of Alan Furst and John le Carré will include Kanon as the third member of a Cold War troika.”