Lisette lives in East Berlin with her husband, 15 year old daughter and baby son. When her son falls ill she takes him to the hospital in West Berlin, she is persuaded to leave him at the hospital to go home for a rest, it is 12 August 1961. Arriving home it is late and everyone is fast asleep, she lies down intending to rest for a few minutes but wakes the following morning to hear the radio broadcast that the wall has been erected separating East and West Berlin.
Lisette adores her baby son but never felt the same connection with her daughter, she is distraught, how will she get him back.
This story focuses on how the women of West Berlin were treated at the end of the second World War and how they coped, it is gripping tale but very emotional.

A 'now and then' story about Berlin; the war, the wall, the Russians and a family caught up in the middle of it. There is a different angle from the usual Berlin wall escape tale which adds interest, and there is a fair amount of intrigue regarding Lisette and Julius.

Writing this I realise I am not bubbling with enthusiasm, the constant referring to people's 'music' frustrated me as it did not appear to add anything to the story. It also boils down to this is a piece of historical fiction, covering a time and place which has had many, many pieces of fiction written about it. If you are new to Berlin and what happened during and after WW2 then you will be enchanted with the characters and the extraordinary situation that they faced. If you are a tired old reader like me then it may seem a bit old hat.

A powerful split timeline book that kept me engaged all the way through. Part set in WW2 Berlin and part in the 1960s as the wall was erected. A mother separated from her baby, in hospital in West Berlin.

As Elly sets out on a risky mission to rescue her brother and reunite her family, her mother’s story in the war unfolds.
Music is at the heart of this book, music and strong women. A heartfelt debut. I will lookout for more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and he publisher for a review copy of this book.

I love historical fiction, especially books which are set around real life events that I can go and read up about afterwards. The book is a dual timeline story which revolves around the Berlin Wall. Initially the story begins in 1961 when Lisette finds herself separated from her baby boy when the Wall is put up overnight. Her son is ill in a hospital in West Berlin and she is stuck in East Berlin having gone home for some rest. The storyline then takes us backwards and forwards from 1961 to the Second World War, following Lisette's story in the earlier years and her daughter Elly's story in 1961.

This was a truly amazing book! I thought it was only going to be set around the time that the Wall went up and what happened after that, I didn't realise it would jump back in time to the War also. The switch between the two times however was done perfectly and there was no confusion as to where you were in their stories. Their stories though were captivating, heart-breaking and took you right into the fear and uncertainty of what was happening. The characters were so well written and I equally loved Lisette and Elly's stories in the different times.

The author has put a huge amount of research into this cleverly written book and as I read I was looking up little bits and pieces to see if some of these things really happened. I'm glad to say a lot of the book was factually correct, but this did add to the sadness I felt as I read to know that so many people went through this. This was an absolutely brilliant book, full of emotion, and which will stay with you long after you have finished it.

This is an incredibly moving and perceptive historical debut novel by Josie Ferguson. The story about a family separated by the building of the Berlin Wall shows their agonising attempts reunite. They also have to come to terms with their horrific experiences during the war and it's aftermath which has affected the whole family and their relationships. It is a disturbing subject, but sensitively dealt with and excellent characterisation.

The story is told via a dual timeline. Lisette is trapped in East Berlin, when the wall is erected in 1961, with her baby on the other side. Her daughter, Ella has always felt disconnected to her mother and wants to help. Can she rescue Paul and to what end ?
Meanwhile, the story also tells us about Lisette's time as a young woman in Berlin at the end of the Second World War and the lengths she had to go to to survive.
Much like Berlin today, the novel doesn't shy away from the history and the brutality ordinary citizens faced during both these periods of its history. It is based on true stories which makes it all the more shocking. It's difficult to comprehend what life would have been like even though this division didn't end until I was well into my teens.
There is a lot which happens in the novel but it is all conveyed clearly and sensitively. It tells a story of courage, love and determination together with a hope for the future.

This historical fiction book will stay with me for a long time.
An absolutely engaging read despite some of the content being horrific.
A story told from the point of 2 main characters over 2 different time line so paying attention to time and character is necessary.
This book is highly recommended, a very well written debut book and I will look out for books by this author in the future.

Wow this book was phenomenal!
The story worked really well with the different time lines and perspectives.
Both women were strong characters on their own way and my heart was in my mouth hoping for a successful resolution.
Refreshing to have a book about the wall and the divide and not the war but where the same tensions remain.
Definitely be purchasing a to keep copy tomorrow.

I was very young when the Berlin Wall fell, too young to really understand what was happening and what it meant; I learned about it as history, something that happened in the past. Too long ago to really affect anything. This book brings it stunningly, vividly to life.

Be aware, as I wasn't, this book jumps timelines; the first part is divided between the days immediately after the Wall went up, and Berlin immediately before and during the Second World War. The Second section is set completely after the Wall and there's an brief epilogue. I've never been a fan of time jumping books, I find it very hard to keep the timelines straight, but I know that's my issue and most readers don't have a problem with it.

The sheer horror and brutality of both the War and the Wall are shown clearly here, as well as the moments of brightness and happiness that can happen even in the worst situations. The bravery of ordinary people was amazing.

This novel will definitely rip your heart out. It's a fascinating read about a momentous time period that will - hopefully - never be repeated.

Lisette takes her son to hospital and they tell her to leave him, go home and come back tomorrow.
Only overnight, the Berlin Wall goes up and they are separated and divided.
Lisette's daughter Elly, goes looking for a way to save her brother. Can she really escape into the West and back again ?
Will the secrets of the past come back to haunt the future?

Absolutely fantastic book. This has a dual timeline and dual narrative set in Berlin in World War 2 and 1961. It has some really horrific scenes, but it is a stunning read

This is a remarkable book - engrossing, engaging, appalling, uplifting. A dual time line connects the lives of a mother and daughter in the Berlin of WWII and the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961. Or perhaps I should say two mothers and their daughters...

As Lisette and Elly's stories unfold, we begin to understand how their experiences in traumatic times sometimes echo, sometimes contrast each other. Without giving away any spoilers, the reasons for Oma Rita's early dementia and the coldness felt by Lisette for her daughter, Elly are gradually revealed in a way that is realistic and heartbreaking. There is no simplistic resolution to their stories, but rather one born out of the triumph of love over loss, people doing their best in times of war and division.

The fictional portrayal of historic events was sensitively handled and shed light on two often forgotten periods of time - and of the way in which women pay the price for war and agressive politics.

Thoroughly recommend.

This book was powerful and shocking.
I've never really thought about families being split when the wall went up. The emotions of a mother being separated from a baby were conveyed well.
This book stayed with me after I'd finished reading, definitely recommend.

I especially enjoy historical fiction that is built around historical events that I know little about, and shockingly have never even stopped to consider what life must have been like for those caught up in events of magnitude.

In The Silence In Between Lisette is trapped on the East side of the Berlin wall when it is suddenly erected in 1961, what makes her story particularly brutal is that her baby son Axel is on the other side, in hospital in the West. Lisette stops speaking, not for the first time, she went mute at the close of WWII when the Russians invaded Germany.

The book alternates between 1945 and 1961 through Lisette's eyes and those of her teenage daughter who makes a plan to help her mother and brother in 1961. The book is moving and whilst I didn't really appreciate the relevance of each person's individual tune during the majority of the book, that mystery was cleared up at the end.

An informative book with lively characters that covers some brutal times for Lisette and her family.

A well researched historical novel, with a backstory from the 1940s taking the reader through to the building of the Berlin Wall and its eventual fall in November 1989.

Separated by the overnight construction of the Wall, a young girl braves all to travel from East to West Berlin, and then back again, to reunite her baby brother with her family. Factually correct, it’s a heartbreaking story of suffering and love that arose in East Berlin under Russian occupation. The novel is full of interesting facts and examples of the lives of East Berliners during this period, voiced through Lisette and her daughter Elly.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Random House for this APC for which I give my personal review.

Both parts of the book are equally powerful and shocking.
How the German women were treated after the war and how quickly the Berlin Wall went up.
A book that stays with you after reading. Highly recommend.

A very moving story told from the dual perspectives of Lisette during the war years and Elly, her daughter, during and after the partition of Berlin. Elly 'hears' people's personalities through music which gives an added and fascinating dimension to the plot. At times the story is absolutely harrowing; the suffering of the German women at the hands of the Russians is well-known but until now I'd never read it as part of a novel and although it wasn't explicit it was hard to read. My only criticism is that it was sometimes difficult to differentiate between the two voices as they're both teenage girls.

When the border between east and West Berlin is closed, Lisette finds herself separated from her baby son. The Silence in Between tells the Lisette’s story and her daughter Elly’s and explains why their relationship is so fractured. It revisits Lisette’s past as a victim of the Rape of Berlin, and Elly’s present as she is determined to bring her baby brother back.

With lyrical writing and shocking histories based on true stories, this book is a hard hitter that will play on your mind long after finishing it. I have to admit that I struggled to get into it at first, finding the constant switching of time and narrator hard to adjust to, but once I did I was rapt.

A solid debut novel.

The book starts in 1961. Berlin is divided into East and West, but there is no boundary between them.
Lisette has a young baby with a heart condition that is being treated in a hospital in West Berlin. She has to go home to get more clothes for them both, intending to rush back with them. Exhausted, she falls asleep at home, waking the next morning to her anguished husband. The boundary has been closed and no one can cross back into the West.
Will she get back to her baby? Can he survive without her? How will the family cope if they cannot get him back?
As the story unfolds, we are taken back to Lisette's experiences in WW2, and how these have shaped her life since.
Through the family's history, the book graphically illustrates the struggles of people, particularly women, in Berlin when the wall was built and, in flashbacks, during and after the Second World War.
I could not put this book down - a really compelling read.

The Silence In Between is a well written and well researched debut novel. It's an emotional and enthralling read told from 2 points of view, over two timelines, WW2 in Berlin and the aftermath of the building of the Berlin Wall. Loosely based on a true story, but including factual happenings, it's heartbreaking and thought provoking. Lisette and her daughter Elly's stories will linger with you long after you finish reading the last page. Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for sharing this book with me.