In Berlin - by Eric Silberstein (Paperback)

About the Book

Medical student Batul al-Jaberi's life has been upended by the Arab Spring, software engineer Anna Werner's by a rare spinal stroke. They begin a friendship that could help both regain mobility-until faced with impossible choices.

Book Synopsis

"An utterly spellbinding journey...reflects a triumph of the human spirit in the face of unexpected catastrophe." -Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States

"His novel is for the universe, and all readers will find bits of themselves in places they might not have realized." -Heather Krill, True North

For fans of Abraham Verghese and Lisa Genova, an "intriguing, exciting, twisted, frustrating, entangled, non-conventional love story."

Software engineer Anna Werner lives at a rapid clip, relishing her work and adopted city as much as her early morning runs. All comes undone on a sweaty August evening when, in the course of a 20-minute commute, Anna goes from worrying vaguely over a sore shoulder to staggering her way into an ambulance. She has suffered a spinal stroke. Over the coming months, her parents join the insurance man in telling her to get ready for life in a group home.

The only person who recognizes what Anna is still capable of is Batul al-Jaberi, a recent Syrian immigrant who meets Anna while doing her rounds as a janitor at the hospital. Batul is applying to medical school, where she hopes to regain control of a life hijacked by her family's flight from persecution in the early days of the Arab Spring.

At first the friendship is what Anna and Batul each need to regain mobility. But as their relationship deepens, Batul finds she must choose between her family and Anna-a choice that will force both women to rewrite their notions of loyalty.

In Berlin is a work of empathetic precision, exploring both the unpredictable nature by which geopolitics and scientific breakthroughs touch our lives, and the brave, bold, and sometimes quiet ways in which people reassert agency in the face of loss. Most of all, it taps a throughline of emotion that binds characters and readers alike across geographies, cultures, and ambitions.

Review Quotes

"An utterly spellbinding journey full of unexpected turns and nuanced characters, In Berlin reflects a triumph of the human spirit in the face of unexpected catastrophe. Silberstein has given us a gift: a deeply moving opportunity to look at tragedy with new eyes, and in doing so, to find hope and beauty in the most surprising of places." -Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States

"Silberstein's portrayal of life with a spinal cord injury is about as intimate as one can get without actually having experienced SCI on a personal level. The reader enters the protagonists' lives and travels their difficult and complex journey, from devastation and anger to acceptance and, finally, empowerment and hope. His novel is for the universe, and all readers will find bits of themselves in places they might not have realized." -Heather Krill, author of the novel True North and writer for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation

"This is a page-turner of a novel rich in ideas. The story is packed with moments I recognize and yet it is wholly original, with characters who will surprise you again and again. They remind us what it's like to be alive now, in a tumultuous era of dazzling possibilities and tremendous challenges. An important book." -Stanley Sagov, MD, former Chair, Department of Medicine, Mount Auburn Hospital

"... a finely crafted novel of geopolitics, ambition, and competing loyalties. Original, exceptional, inherently compelling, and as relevant as today's nightly news headlines, In Berlin is a fascinating read from start to finish." -Midwest Book Review

"As someone who has lived with paraplegia for nearly 40 years, I was deeply moved. ... Silberstein captures, with remarkable honesty and empathy, the complex emotional landscape of living with paralysis-both the grief of losing control over your body and the quiet, hard-won gratitude that emerges through adaptation. ... This book transported me. It offered a window into unfamiliar cultures, scientific frontiers, and deeply human questions of identity, resilience, and belonging. I felt seen, stretched, and reminded of how connection and determination can reshape even the most unexpected futures. ... In Berlin is a profoundly beautiful novel. I'm grateful to have read it and recommend it without reservation. " -Karen Roy, LCSW, Ms. Wheelchair America 2019

"...a touching, unconventional love story between women of two different worlds...moving...a singular novel-a slow-burn literary love story that is wise and incisive about medicine, geopolitics, healing, and life as it is actually lived." -BookLife Reviews (Editor's Pick)

"Unexpected ... an intriguing, exciting, twisted, frustrating, entangled, non-conventional love story. Exposes life in a raw, the-way-it-is fashion, but still making it all so beautiful. The underlying message advocates for kindness and hope, despite the brutalities of the world, entrenched societal norms, and seemingly demoralizing life circumstances." -Nina Ephremidze, former host of Trip to Europe

"The author masterfully captures the local details of Syria with precision and authenticity... The narrative delves deeply and systematically into the structure of the Syrian family as shaped by war, raising questions about the social transformations that have reshaped it in its aftermath...portraying the struggles it has had to endure-not from a broad, detached perspective, but through an intimate exploration of Batul's psyche." -Ahmad Barghash, author of the novel Thalath Shamat Yahrasna al-Madina

"A finely spun story of love and loss." -Kirkus Reviews