I loved the first half of it and couldn't stop reading. It was devastating and I was on the edge of my seat. The second half felt a little sleepy, and for me, I don't love montage-like sequences where years are skipped ahead to give a slice of "look how well things went!" Still, it was an interesting story and I'm glad I read it. I wish the ending were different, and I didn't love the title. 3.5 rounding up to 4.

Beautifully heartbreaking. I flew through this one! Anna suffers a rare spinal stroke at a young age, leaving her unable to move most of her body. No one knows if Anna will be able to recover and she must rely on others for her most basic needs. The odds are against her as she struggles to deal with her new condition. Batul, a Syrian refugee and hospital custodian studying to become a doctor, seems to be the only one who sees past Anna's disability. Throughout the book, their relationship grows as they deal with their respective setbacks and struggles - Anna's medically and Batul's culturally.

My only complaint was the very end which seemed a bit disconnected from the rest of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Eric Silberstein and Liu Book Group for the eARC!

As a deep reader, I try to channel one of the characters in the story I'm starting. To do that, I chose Anna, the main character in "In Berlin." I was greatly surprised that the author was a male writing very sensitive narrative for two females. Silberstein carries the women well, through opening an awkward professional relationship of two women, building up interest as they begin to take on budding love.
The development of a love affair whether male, female is fraught with quicksand and mountains and Silberstein builds excellent reader interest along the way.
I highly recommend this book for adults of any persuasion.

You haven’t read a book like this before. Neither had I. This is such a unique blend of multiple genres that kept me riveted. The novel is character driven, with each main protagonist so fleshed out that they truly feel like real people. Anna and Batul have so much heart and perseverance. Both women’s stories were fascinating. I’ll keep this vague so I don’t spoil anything, but I will be thinking about this story for quite some time..

In Berlin is a very different book than I've read recently. Eric Silberstein weaves several strong characters from very different backgrounds and religions, into a story of hope. Anna is a young, athletic professional coder who suffers a spinal stroke (I didn't even know that existed!) and ends up at a hospital where she meets Batul, a janitor who was in the middle of her medical degree when all hell broke loose in Syria and her and her family escaped to Germany. Batul and Anna share the hope and belief that Anna can and will get better - at a time when virtually no one else did.

These two women's stories are so beautifully told, through heartache and hope and from such different paths in the lives.

Eric Silberstein does a fantastic job in explaining the familial pulls of a young Muslim daughter and her responsibilities to her family - one that most Americans cannot begin to understand.

Thank you to NetGalley, Eric Silberstein and Liu Book Group for this eye-opening e-ARC in exchange for my opinions.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book, the POVs from our two MCs was interesting and I learned so much about spinal cord injuries, paralysis, and disabilities. However, the relationship between the two seemed very forced and didn't feel organic at all. I wish that part of the story was left out and that we could have followed the two in their own separate outcomes.
The timeline title for Winter 2015 comes before Summer 2015.
There were also too many reviews placed before the book in my opinion.

In Berlin, we meet Anna and Batul in the midst of personal and political challenges. Software engineer Anna has her life turned upside down by an extremely rare spinal stroke and has to learn to live her life while advocating for herself on different terms. While hospitalized, she meets Batul, an aspiring med school student dealing with the immense challenges of being a Syrian immigrant. They form a deep bond during Anna's recovery. But family pressures intervene and change their lives. Through their stories, we learn more about science, culture, love and possibility.

I received an Advance Reader's Copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. In this story we meet Anna, a software engineer who at a young age, receives a rare diagnosis that affects her mobility, her relationships and her employment. We also meet Batul, a Syrian immigrant who works at the hospital where Anna is receiving care. This book explored friendship, romantic relationships, and work relationships, and all are impacted in both positive and negative ways by Anna's diagnosis. We see her navigate her new reality and the highs and lows of successes and disappointments along the way. This novel also shows the reality and importance of the need for self-advocacy in health care environments, and how having one or two people in your corner can make a big difference in your treatment and post-care. Batul's life experiences are also filled with successes and disappointments, and her life is impacted by immigration laws, politics, and racism. There are two characters that although they disappointed Anna in the type of relationship she desired with each ending, they showed up for her in major ways that ultimately showed how much they cared for her. I thought the ending was a fitting way for this story to end, although I can see other readers hoping for a bit more to have happened at the end. I look forward to reading more by this author. This review is also posted on Goodreads.com.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of In Berlin, by Eric Silberstein, from Liu Book Group/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

Sometimes I really wonder about Previous Kristi. Like, why can she be relied upon to always have chicken tetrazzini and Cavender’s-and-garlic-seasoned pan-fried thin boneless pork chops in the freezer but sometimes goes all wacky-wack when it comes to her book selections?

Because, y’all? I’m not sure why I requested/received this book. I have a love-hate relationship with Berlin, even though I’ve never set foot one in Germany (don’t ask, long story). I’m not a lesbian, nor am I practicing Muslim from Syria with an interest in a career in medicine. (Not a practicing anything, FTR.) And I’m not making my way through life with tetraplegia (which I grew up hearing referred to as “being quadriplegic”).

I do, however, have a bad case of yard work-related poison ivy that is distracting me to no end as I attempt to string some coherent thoughts together about In Berlin.

Who knows? Maybe I just wanted to live outside my comfort zone for a while/get some different perspectives on life? Because that I did…..

But. Oh, but…..

This book was incredible, captivating, educating, and a delight to read……until it wasn’t. Because of the way it ended. It went from being a 5-star book I couldn’t shut up about while I was reading it —past my bedtime—to a 4, and then a 3. So, so disappointing. And I can’t tell you why because: “Spoilers, sweetie!”


(Heavens how I wish I had the early 2000s reboot of Doctor Who to watch for the first time all over again. Sigh.)

PS
Also? Somebody needs to get word to this publisher’s marketing department that _too much_ advance praise is quite off-putting. It’s the positive equivalent, to my mind, of, the popular misquoting of Hamlet: “Me thinks thou doth protest too much.”

DESCRIPTION
“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 Taylor Jenkins Reid and Abraham Verghese, 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.

This beautifully written novel spirals through a dizzying array of topics: living with disability, reconciling religion and sexuality, and machine learning, to name a few. This book explores love and care, the expectations we put on ourselves and others, and the all to real notion that love often is simply not enough. I loved getting lost in Anna and Batul’s Berlin, and I think I am more understanding and empathetic for having done so.

Thanks to NetGalley and Eric Silberstein for this early reader copy of In Berlin

Anna a career driven and healthy woman who suffers a spinal stroke meets Batul, a syrian woman who dreams of being a doctor. This isn’t just a story of Anna’s rough road to recovery and rediscovering who she is post spinal stroke, but of her strength and enthusiasm for her life getting better. It’s also about Batul and her struggle with identifying the deep bond she shares with Anna and her connection to her culture and life in Syria. Although they are very different to one another, they form this complex yet beautiful connection. As the book progresses the complexities get even more complex, well worth the read. I feel I have learnt a lot just from reading this book.

A spellbinding book! When a young woman has a tragic accident, she befriends someone who will.change her life. Character driven and well-plotted. Draws you in quickly.

This is a fascinating story of persistence and resilience. Anna, a high flying young coder in Berlin, suffers a spinal stroke and becomes tetraplegic. Whilst in hospital she meets Batul, a recent Syrian arrival who has found work as a cleaner in the hospital. This novel is the story of their friendship and their very different lives: both are adapting to events which have dramatically changed their lives, and both are redefining their identities. It addresses the problems with health care and the importance of advocating for oneself, keeping expectations high and navigating the expectations of those around us. It‘s also the story of enduring love, and asks how much we should conform to the beliefs that others have formed of our identity. If you want an optimistic novel that will open up the world of disability and the immigrant experience then pick this up. It’s very readable!

I will admit that I am a bit on the fence with this book. I think I need to let it digest some more before I am able to give a full in depth review and feedback but I will say that whilst it was certainly a unique and interesting read, I felt some slight stereotypes being placed on certain characters and I don't completely know how I feel about the way this book was written,

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review. Wow! This is my first ARC in a while. I was in tears on my plane ride to Trinidad reading this novel. “Berlin” is beautiful. The exceptional writing and emotional depth is woven throughout this whole novel. When it debuts to the public in 2025, I know it is going to be a huge success. Be ready to laugh and cry. I am a big fan of character driven novels and Berlin is a prime example of the kind of character driven novel I love. I also thought the length of the book was perfect.

In Berlin by Eric Silberstein.

This is an unusual novel, centred on Anna a very astute software engineer and Batul, a young Syrian refugee who form a beautiful relationship in circumstances of extreme adversity.

Anna, in the peak of her life, suffers a devastating spinal column stroke, something that I’d not heard of before and a medical subject I found quite fascinating. Batul is working as a janitor in the hospital, whilst she applies for a place to continue her medical degree and improve her German. The degree of empathy and understanding Batul has for Anna, is unrivalled and they form a deep and tender connection early on, despite the profound obstacles and differences. I enjoyed the multicultural aspects and particularly enjoyed the account of Batul’s life in Syria and the historical reasons for her family seeking refuge in Germany.

There were a few twinges of ableism in the book, which made me a bit uncomfortable. There is no doubt that Anna’s characteristic determination put her better placed to make a more remarkable improvements, but I think there is always a bit of a danger in suggesting that determination is just what is takes to reduce disability. If only that was the case, I’m sure there would be a lot more ‘Annas’!

However, overall, it was a compelling read about love, cultural differences, faith, family, a little bit of politics, medical advancement and above all, hope.

Big thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

In Berlin by Eric Silberstein is a remarkable and layered novel that drew me in from the start. At its center is Anna Werner, a sharp software engineer whose life is upended by a sudden medical event. What follows isn’t a typical recovery narrative, but a thoughtful exploration of identity, dignity, and connection. Anna’s experience with her new physical limitations is portrayed with raw honesty, and it was refreshing to see her reclaim agency and rebuild her life on her own terms.

One of the novel’s strongest aspects is Anna’s relationship with Batul, a young Syrian woman who dreams of becoming a doctor. Their bond feels genuine and well-developed, shaped by cultural tension, trauma, and mutual trust. Watching their connection evolve was both emotional and rewarding.

However, the final chapters didn’t fully land for me. The love confession between Anna and Batul felt rushed and lacked the emotional depth the story had carefully built. Then there’s the abrupt time jump in the final chapter, which left me feeling disoriented. Suddenly, Anna has a family and an entirely new life, but the narrative offers little insight into how she got there.

Most disappointing was the choice to have Anna “miraculously” healed. After so much honest and affirming portrayal of living with a disability, this shift felt like a step backward. It sends the message that happiness or fulfillment only comes with being non-disabled, which undermines the strength and growth Anna demonstrated throughout the novel. I had hoped for a resolution that embraced her life as it was, rather than erasing a core part of her experience.

Young, healthy, athletic -- Anna has a position as a software engineer well respected by her team and co-workers, when she is felled by a stroke to the spine. No longer able to function, she is dependent on others for even her basic needs. When she meets Batul, a Syrian immigrant janitor who had been studying medicine in Aleppo before fleeing the Assad regime, they find in one other both solace and assistance. Batul herself is torn between her traditional muslim values and her desire for learning. What Silberstein has accomplished is creation of two believable characters with unusual problems that resonate with today's world, complicated and enlightening. It could have done with a little less repetition, but overall was fascinating reading.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. This book had a lot of potential. I enjoyed getting to know the characters but the storyline just seemed to be very unrealistic at about the halfway point and didn’t recover for me.

I found this book to be interesting and thought provoking. Anna was so positive in the face of diversity and I found myself rooting for her throughout the story. Her relationship with Batul was beautiful and also a big challenge based on their religious and ethnic backgrounds. I found the jumpy timeline a bit confusing however. One moment they are together and talking, and in the next paragraph one of them is reliving something from the past only to jump back to the present. I also found it jarring to skip over her relationship with Erika despite the fact that they had 2 children together.