Tunnel 29

“[R]iveting.”

“[A]bsolutely compelling, written in the style of a novelist…chilling… Tunnel 29 is a riveting story about what happens when people lose their freedom.”

“Merriman hitches her story to a band of protagonists – digger Joachim Rudolph, wannabe escapees Renate and Wolfdieter Sternheimer, spy Siegfried Uhse – and expertly ups the tempo of perspective changes until the narrative tension is as taut as in a thriller.”

“[Y]ou start to care about these people, to feel the taut urgency of their work and despair at the cruelty of a system that was as deranged as it was effective. Merriman weaves together three separate but deeply connected narratives: the first, a remarkable feat of subterranean construction by some very brave men; the second, the omnipresent stranglehold of the not-secret-at-all police state on the entire population; and the third, a groundbreaking, award-winning NBC documentary that aired in December 1962 — one of the first reality shows in television history.”

“‘Tunnel 29’, by Helena Merriman, a British journalist and broadcaster, began as a popular podcast, aired by the BBC in 2019 to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the wall. Happily, the written account is no less captivating….Ms Merriman weaves these strands together skilfully, offering enough context to explain her characters’ actions without distracting from their adventures…. Ms Merriman’s well-crafted book does justice to the extraordinary bravery of her characters.”

“A gripping, real-life page turner, packed with great characters stuck in impossible situations. This is nonfiction at its very best, and more dramatic and incredible than any fiction I have read for a very long time.”
 

“Merriman takes us inside not only the tunnel, but also the personal lives of those who dug it. We feel we’re experiencing history as it happens. It’s a gripping story of bravery, determination, and, ultimately, love.”
 

“[A]n audacious and compelling tale, told with narrative tension and novelistic drive, creating a fascinating portrayal of life in Berlin in the early days of the wall.”

“The chapters on the day of the escape are possibly the most suspenseful I have ever read, in fiction as well as nonfiction."

“A fascinating account of a daring escape from a repressive regime as well as a vivid portrait of life in Berlin in the early days of the wall—and of the international impact of events in that city. Merriman effectively maintains the pace and suspense, giving readers a novelistic narrative with a solid foundation of fact. An entertaining real-life Cold War thriller following a group of students who escaped under ‘the Wall of all walls.’”