The Berlin Exchange

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Almost a laugh, caught in time. Then, when she kept staring, “We don’t have politics. Not like here.” I know. You’re right—old habits. What else would I do?” He looked again at Martin. “The exchange was for you?” In chapter 3, Martin meets up with his old handler in Russian intelligence, Andrei, who asks him to begin spying for them again; we learn Martin passed atomic secrets from the United States to Russia. How did this affect your view of Martin? How has his position changed since going to prison? On second thought, maybe you’ll fit right in. With the Krauts. They say everybody’s got an ear out over there.” Filled with intriguing characters, atmospheric detail, and plenty of action Kanon’s latest espionage thriller is one you won’t soon forget.

And they did, again that night and for years after. They always had the sex. Even after things changed, after they became different people, they had the sex. One of their secrets. Sometimes, in prison, he wondered if he had done it for sex, had been that much of a fool. But it hadn’t felt that way at the time. Something the Party needed, the world, if it was to have peace. Serious reasons. He hadn’t done it for her, the spying. But he wouldn’t have done it alone. I’m too much a coward,” she’d said. “All the blood. I don’t have the stomach for that. It doesn’t bother you?”Yes. Die Familie Schmidt. A program on the DFF. He plays the son. At first, a small part. Sabine arranged it. You know, she has friends in the theater. Now television. The work is there. So why not use Peter? A little extra money. And you know, she’s drawn to that life. So maybe it’s for her a little too. And then what happens? People like him. The funny one. But a good boy. So more lines. Now he’s well-known. One of the Publikumslieblinge.” Reread the author’s note and, as a group, follow up on one of the real-life figures that inspired the characters in The Berlin Exchange. How are their lives different from those of the book’s characters? The West Germans will want him. There is no East Germany to them. Only German citizens, all of us. So by this logic, we’re putting their citizens in jail. They have a responsibility to get them out.” 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? No, just a word.” A glance to the lobby. “There he goes. I was afraid— But that was good, everybody in the field. He doesn’t have to know you’re a friend of Schell’s.”

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? This reading group guide for The Berlin Exchange includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book. 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." — Publishers Weekly

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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. Of course you will also have a pension from the state,” Kurt was saying. “You will be comfortable.”

Two years. Of course, the way he’s growing now, he may grow out of the part soon.” The proud father. But of course she had been, even then, something he would have known if he’d been listening, too busy hearing the rush of blood in his ears, the throaty voice. At the beginning, when he believed everything she said. Not a very pleasant welcome,” Kurt said as their driver pulled out. “I hope you won’t think this is typical. Very rare. Before the wall, it was a problem. The state trains someone, years of free education, and then one day he takes the S-Bahn to the West and all the skills are lost. Years of investment gone. You heard them. Their ambulance. Skilled medical workers.”

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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.”

They were speeding past the Charité grounds, nurses and students filling the street. Sabine hadn’t been a medical student, just a friend of Georg’s brother, a girl at a party. But will the SED want them to know? Nobody dies at the wall these days. You still have your old habits, Hans.” He turned to Martin. “Hans is a refugee from the West. He used to work for Springer, so he’s a bloodhound with a crime story. Except there is no crime in the Republic.” Martin can’t figure out why he’s being treated as a valuable asset to be exchanged. His scientific knowledge is many years out of date. He thought he was a forgotten man. He learns that his wife, Sabine, who he agreed should divorce him when he went to prison, has a new husband, Kurt, whose job as a lawyer is to arrange prisoner exchanges. Sabine says that Peter, the son she had with Martin, is growing up and she wants him to know his father, so she got Kurt to pulls strings. Kurt nodded. “Well, if you call it seeing. A flash and then it’s over. You understand I had to protect Martin, get him out of there, so I wasn’t noticing much. What, in particular?”Let’s go,” Kurt said, leaving the guards to deal with whatever reports were going to be made. “It’s another matter, the exchange. Nothing to do with this. We don’t want them confused. Come.” Protecting himself. 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. No. This business, it’s better if it’s done quietly. But you will come tonight. For dinner.” He hesitated. “You know, I maybe should be a little bit jealous. The first husband.” At Invalidenstrasse. Wall jumpers. In an ambulance. I think something new, using an ambulance. I don’t remember anyone before—”