Mark is a successful political journalist. Following the death of his emotionally constrained mother on the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall, he finds a journal written by his father, George, who was absent throughout his childhood. It reveals the distinguished military record of a soldier charged with mine clearance in the ruins of post-war Germany.
Georges own words paint a vivid picture of the father Mark had scarcely known. A man dedicated to his family despite tensions in his marriage and his growing friendship with a local woman. He only becomes aware of the depth of his feelings for her as he is about to return home following demobilisation.
Mark had never challenged his mothers account of his fathers death in 1947. He now sets out to dismantle the wall of silence she had erected and discover more. His sister discourages him sensing that disturbing family secrets might be uncovered, and his German born wife seeks to distance herself from his quest; she is scared that she will be forced to confront painful memories of her wartime flight from East Prussia and her post-war childhood.
Marks quest leads to a transformative conclusion in Germany against the background of the reunification ceremonies.
David Evered, during his career in academic medicine and research, has made numerous contributions to medical and scientific literature. He has been a consultant physician, the Deputy Head of the UK Medical Research Council, a Special Adviser to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) and a Trustee of Macmillan Cancer Support. A keen amateur historian, he has lived in Newcastle, London and France. Now retired he lives in West Berkshire. This is his second novel.
