The Berlin Runaway: A Historical Fiction Novel

Even the Berlin Wall could not stop him from trying to save the girl he loves.

1952. Anton Schulzis only seven when his father, an ex-SS officer still devoted to the Nazi party, is arrested, and his mother dies from shock during the ambush. Left to fend for himself in an orphanage in Berlin, he befriends Ella Kühn, a girl his father would force him to hate, just because of her darker skin. Yet despite his ingrained prejudices, Anton feels protective over Ella, and the two develop a strong bond.

1961. On the night of August 13, Anton gets word that will wreak havoc on the lives of Berliners. As soldiers begin erecting a wall that will separate East and West Berlin, Anton finds a last-minute means of escape. Yet, when he asks Ella to join him, she insists on staying behind with her sick father. Willing to do anything for the girl he loves, he takes her eleven-year-old brother Josef instead.

Finding freedom across the wall, Anton cannot stop thinking about the girl he left behind, just when he hoped they could become something more. Knowing that crossing the Berlin Wall could be fatal, he is willing to risk his life to save Ella. But when his letters to Ella are left unanswered, he fears there is no one there on the other side waiting for him.

From the bestselling author of The Berlin Girl trilogy, The Berlin Runaway presents the series’ narrative from Anton’s perspective and is a gripping and heart-wrenching story of love, loyalty, and courage during an unimaginable time in history.