Anna is a young software engineer, living an active life in Berlin. She loves to run, she has a girlfriend who shares her active lifestyle, and her life is good. Until, one day, it isn’t. A rare spinal stroke leaves her entirely vulnerable in hospital.

Batul is a recent immigrant to Berlin from Aleppo in Syria, where she witnessed unimaginable suffering. She is resigned to the fact that she may never realise her dream of continuing her studies in Germany and becoming a doctor, as had been her plan in Syria; for one thing, she barely speaks German. But as a foot in the door, she takes a job as a cleaner at a hospital.

It’s the hospital where Anna is learning to adjust to her new life with paralysis, and one day the two women meet. The meeting will change the course of both of their lives, and eventually, in the future, the course of history.

I really enjoyed reading Anna’s and Batul’s contrasting yet interwoven stories. I thought the attention to detail in relation to spinal injury enhanced the book, but the attention to detail in relation to Anna’s life as a programmer did take me out of the story at times. Someone more computer literate than me might have gained more from the coding details, but I found them slightly jarring - I don’t think they were needed to convey the office politics or Anna’s passion for her work. Having said that, a similar level of medical detail didn’t feel extraneous.

I thought that the topic of Batul’s Islam faith was handled sensitively and realistically, and the intersection of her beliefs with Anna’s values as a gay woman was also portrayed very well. I wondered as I read if the depiction of asylum seeking in Germany was overly idealistic - some casual day to day racism aside, Berlin felt at times like almost a utopian haven for Batul and her friends and relatives, and I’m not sure this is entirely true to historical fact (although as a Brit I can’t obviously speak to the experience of the attitude of Berliners to asylum seekers). Certainly the grind of upholding a professional career in a new country was well detailed and Batul’s struggle to learn a new language as well as maintain her education felt very real.

I found this book gripping and immersive and I would recommend it highly. I’m grateful to Netgalley for the chance to read it before publication.

This story, which should have been emotional and deeply felt, read more like a tech manual in places, and in others like a (not very good) YA novel. The timeline is all over the place, and on top of that the author is trying to touch on too many topics - the paralysis alone is a big one, with the emotional and psychological shifts entailed in moving forward from such a devastating event - but for me, there was a curious lack of emotion present, and the sections where Anna imagines what she’d like to happen in certain instances just feels clumsy and oddly childish. Add to that a lesbian love story complicated by a religious and cultural obstacle which also felt clumsily written, plus political issues as background, and the tossing around of technical jargon, it was a struggle to find any real connection to the any of the characters. Thank you to NetGalley for this review copy, but this one fell a bit short, in my opinion.

The characters were flawed - in good ways and ways that felt wrong, as in "does the author really understand what it is like to be (a) female (b) female in a tech-bro job (c) female in the tach-bro job who is a lesbian (d) female in a tech-bro job who is lesbian and suddenly paralyzed? I won't even get into being female and muslim. So the characters felt flat, gender and racially stereotyped and shallow.

I longly hesitated on whether I should give this book three stars or four. Consider it a 3,5 rounded up, because I still think it is worth the read.

Let’s start with the good things, shall we?

First of all, this is a very fast read. Not in the sense that it is short or lacks depth and complexity, not at all. In fact, it is a pretty thought-provoking book. I mean fast in the sense that I couldn’t put it down for a second. The characters and their story cling to your brain and soul and you can’t shake them off, so you keep turning pages. One more chapter often turned into one more part for me. I was too invested to stop myself from reading.

That’s also partly thanks to the author’s amazing writing skills : I was inside the book, smelling what there was to smell, seeing what there was to see, tasting what there was to taste. That extends to the character’s emotions too. I felt Anna’s frustration at being trapped in a bed talking to people who didn’t want to hear a word of what she had to say, felt Batul’s drive to be a doctor and her fear at being unable to, and so on and so forth.

I loved Anna and Batul’s relationship from the first time they met. They felt like a breath of fresh air in each other’s perspectives and they both wanted the best for the other, which sounds like the bare minimum, but I feel like it’s so rare to find relationships that are truly mutually beneficial and altruistic in media. Their discussions showed how interested they were in what their friend (and more) had to say.

Those conversations often contained political references, software vocabulary and medical jargon, but they were not off putting in the slightest, as they were well explained and necessary to the progress of the story, in my opinion.

All of these things are why this was at least a four-stars read for me, up until the ending.

To me, the huge time jump didn’t make any sense. I didn’t recognise Anna anymore and the sudden science fiction made me wrinkle my nose. It’s a genre I love, just not when I’m thrown into it by force. It all felt very idealistic too, especially considering the rest of the book. Why perpetuate the idea that people with disabilities cannot be truly happy?

Although maybe I’m just bitter, this didn’t feel like a resolution. A shame for what I hoped I could rate five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was a consistent 3-star read for me throughout.

The plot/storyline was interesting and contained a multitude of layers that added to its complexity; however, something was lacking for me throughout the novel that I cannot fully touch upon. Throughout I felt quite lost or disconnected from both the plot and characters due to this, which made it hard to get through at times.

This book did give a great deal of insight into the medical industry as well as the lives of those with paralysis and the challenges they face on a daily basis and really changed my perspective on life and taking things for granted. Anna, despite her hardships, remained a positive light throughout and made it easy for me to empathise with her.

However, as I read the last few parts, particularly the last couple of chapters, it felt quite rushed and muddled, mainly due to the time jumps that felt a tad unnecessary to me, taking away the momentum of the overall plot.

Despite this, thank you to netgalley and the author for providing me with the opportunity of reading this ARC, I am very grateful.

I liked this book quite a lot. The characters were interesting and the story compelled me to keep reading.
I felt like I learned a lot about the medical aspect of what Anna was going through. She really had a positive outlook and you couldn't help but feel compassion for her unfortunate circumstance.
As I read, the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the book was surely a four-star read. I'm tempted to take off half a star (as if I could) because for me it became muddled and lost momentum towards the end.
Overall a good and uplifting story that I would recommend.
Thank you to the author and to netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

3 star read until 75% in and then it moved to a 4 star for me.

Anna is a healthy young 20something working in tech when she has an unexpected stroke that leaves her partially paralyzed. While in the hospital she meets Batul, a Syrian immigrant, who is a med student who has temporarily taken a job as a hospital janitor while she gets her feet under her in Berlin. This book follows their relationship and shifting life circumstances.

It’s an interesting story with many layers. But it lacked in a way I can’t quite put my finger on. It lacked…heart? Authenticity? There was often a disconnect I can’t find a good way to describe. The content was there but it lacked the hook. The way time passed in this book may have something to do with it. There was a lot of telling readers vs showing them…and it left me not feeling connected to the plot and characters at times.

I loved Batul instantly and throughout. Anna waxed and waned for me. It took a while for her to grow on me. I often wished the romantic relationships had stayed platonic. But I get why they didn’t. The end elevated this book for me. I’ll round it up to four stars.

Thanks to NetGalley & Liu Book Group for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first read for NetGalley, and wow - what a way to start.
This is a deeply thought-provoking and incredibly sensitive novel about the day to day realities of living with a catastrophic spinal injury - but it embraces so much more.
Silberstein's depiction of the growing relationship between Anna and Batul, the two young women who are centre-stage, and the complications that their disparate lives bring to their relationship, is written with a depth of empathy that surprised me - I double checked to make sure that it was in fact written by a man, not a woman.
His research got deep into the weeds of spinal injury, recovery and long-term spinal studies, along with some of the mysterious (to me) intricacies of software design, and the horrors of Assad's Syria.
Ultimately it is a depiction of the determination, commitment and love shared by Anna and Batul.
The author reminds us that close human relationships are complicated, sometimes messy, utterly particular to the individual - and something to be cherished.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with the advanced reading copy of ‘In Berlin’

Eric Silberstein tells a story full of love, hardship, obstacles, friendship, and above all, hope.

Anna is a normal woman working as a software engineer when the unthinkable happens- she suffers a stroke that leaves her unable to move nearly her whole body.
She is told her case is a rare one, and because of that, the doctors are unable to say what her life will look like long term.

Can Anna regain mobility? Or will she need to accept and adapt to her limited movements?

Anna’s doctors and family members want her to get better, but wanting her to get better and thinking she will get better are two different things. The only one who seems to see the person and not the disability is Batul, a young woman recently fleeing from Syria.

”When no one gave you the benefit of the doubt, when everything took ten times as long, when you depended on others, you needed a plan, and a backup plan, and a backup to the backup.”

It was really emotional reading about Anna’s mental state in the aftermath of her stroke. She tries to be positive, and believes that she will make improvements, but she also has moments where she thinks about how much better off everyone would be without her. She is still the same person no matter what happened to her, and when she thinks (even for a moment) that her physical abilities could in any way change her worth… well, it made me shed some tears for sure.

I wasn’t expecting to love the dynamic of Anna and Batul so much. There was so much depth and nuance to the connection they shared, and I was alternating sobbing and laughing with every interaction. They each had a backstory that felt very real and made sense with their personalities, but even though the backstories were detailed I never felt like it was diverting or taking away from the plot.

Anna is the main narrator of the story, but there are also quite a few chapters from Batul’s pov. In the beginning I wasn’t sure it was necessary because the story felt more like Anna’s alone, but the more I read the more my mind changed. I don’t think it could have been done any other way! The chapters where we get to be in Batul’s head are so important.

There is quite a bit of medical and tech jargon in this book, and also a lot of political talk- not in a way that’s confusing, but in a way that forces readers to slow down to take in the story. I appreciated how much I was able to learn in this book without the information taking away from the plot.

From the characters to the setting to the unimaginable hardships and heartache- this is a story that will surely stick with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I loved this book. So well written, and such great insight to an experience none of us hope to share. The clash of cultures make it even more interesting and form the crux of the problem between Anna and Batul. Their love is tender and real, but filled with major obstacles.

The author's descriptions of the challenges Anna faces and how she deals with them is both frightening and inspirational. When I finished reading, I felt like I was leaving people I actually knew. All the characters were well developed and believable.

I will look out for others by this author.

This was an amazing story of love, resilience, and perseverance. Anna becomes paralyzed, yet stays mentally focused on believing her muscles will respond to her will. She meets a young woman who she is immediately taken with that has a brilliant mind and a bright disposition. Together they accomplish amazing growth, but apart, miracles continue to happen. This was an emotion and thoughtful story about what humans are capable of.

Such a unique story with multiple complex characters and a storyline different than any other I have read. I tend to be drawn to medical stories so many start to feel familiar. This one felt very new and I enjoyed it from start to finish

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

“Dr. Eckert was The chair of the Treatment Center for Spinal Cord Injuries. She had only seen a handful of reports on patients with paralysis as extensive as Anna’s. Spinal strokes were rare”.
“Anna would need to learn how to adapt to her new body”.
“Part of that learning would be to figure out how to do things differently, but part of that learning would be treating herself with care that Anna Werner wasn’t use to”.
“The rest of her life? What was she talking about? What about healing?”
Dr. Eckert wasn’t telling Anna that her condition was permanent, only that she needed to be prepared for it to be.
The physical therapy at Anna would be going through would be mainly about strengthening the muscles so she could learn to control and live with her new physical constraints. “The facility and therapies are the best in Germany.”

“In Berlin” is a fiction novel that often feels like a memoir — the emotions from devastation, to anger, to acceptance, to hope and possibilities are real.

The storytelling weaves together Anna’s journey along with a growing connection with Batul al-Jabari, a janitor, a young Syrian woman who dreams of becoming a doctor.
Both women were dealing with types of displacement: (physical and cultural)….
Choices needed to be made. Advocacy for oneself needed to be made.
Through struggles ….physical, social, exile, family….we experience the characters strength and resilience through their intimate exploration of perseverance.

“Every person is different. I’ve seen people accomplish things they never thought they’d be able to do. My advice is never give up hope. Never stop telling your muscles to move. Never stop strengthening and training what you have. Never assume that your limitations today will be your limitations tomorrow.”

With depth and breadth and empathy, Eric Silverstein wrote a passionate moving novel.
Our awareness of one living with Spinal Cord injuries ….even cultural biases …. quadruples in size …..
The human spirit of toughness….adaption….and not giving up ….is truly remarkable!!

Kudos to Eric Silverstein for taking on this topic…..the issues and serious concerns….with tremendous respect and humanity.

Thank you #LiuBookGroup and #NetGalley for providing this #ARC Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is August 5, 2025.

4 Stars • In Berlin by Eric Silberstein hits all the feels. Anna, a high-flying software engineer, gets blindsided by a spinal stroke, flipping her Berlin life upside down. Enter Batul, a Syrian janitor with med school dreams, who sees Anna’s spark and kicks off a friendship that keeps them both going. Things get deep, but Batul’s stuck choosing between family and Anna. Berlin’s buzzing vibe ties it together in this quick, soulful read about bouncing back and real connection.

#InBerlin #EricSilberstein #Bookish

Good story about clashing cultures and societal norms. Anna has a stroke which leaves her paralyzed. Her girlfriend leaves her. She meets Basil a Syrian refugee and falls in love. But.Batul Must listen to her family and marries a doctor. Great ending. Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC.

In Berlin by Eric Silberstein is a remarkable and layered story that draws you into the life of Anna Werner, a vibrant software engineer whose world suddenly collapses after an unexpected medical event. What follows is not a simple rehabilitation narrative, but an emotional journey toward recovery, dignity, and connection. Anna’s struggle with her new physical limitations is portrayed with raw honesty.

During her hospital stay, Anna meets Batul al-Jaberi, a young Syrian woman with a dream of becoming a doctor. Batul’s conflicting thoughts—torn between loyalty to her family and the bond she builds with Anna—offer beautiful insight into her complex inner world. The growing friendship between Anna and Batul is both fragile and powerful, and is portrayed in a very believable way.

In Berlin is, above all, a story about love, hope, and resilience. Silberstein weaves together major themes like migration, loss, and healing in a gentle and natural way. It’s the kind of book that moves you and makes you reflect on how people manage to find their path again—despite everything. A true recommendation!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

"I love you. I love you. I love you. A sustained, amplified cry echoing off limestone. Enveloping warmth. Belonging. Home."

A tender, unflinching look into being human and falling in love. Silberstein has crafted his characters to be both endearing and realistic, flawed in ways that make perfect sense. The prose is lyrical while still being simple and easy to read. The ending hurt in the best kind of way; a reminder that love can live on in so many different ways. I highly recommend!

A recent spinal scare of my own, with the frightening uncertainties it made for, had me especially interested in reading Eric Silberstein's “In Berlin,” in which his protagonist, 20-something software engineer Anna, looks to have suffered a spinal stroke.
Fortunately, in my own case further diagnostic testing suggested that the apparent abnormality was just that, an abnormality – knock on wood – but in Anna’s case her stroke proves to be very much the real thing and leaves her a tetraplegic requiring around-the-clock hospital care and constant vigilance over things that might hurt her body without her knowing it.
“A wrinkle in a sheet pressing into her, a crease in her gown under her weight in the wheelchair, friction on her skin,” anything could be the occasion for a health emergency from a condition so devastating that it has one of the similarly afflicted patients at the hospital so bitter that he wishes he’d drowned from the swimming accident that left him in his condition.
If he had the guts, he’d go to Switzerland, he tells Anna, who for all the direct and indirect consequences of her situation, including a break-up with her lover, Julia, can’t abide giving up, even as she hears of someone whose leg was savaged by a rat without his ever being aware of it – an ever-present danger, again, from a spinal condition.
An inconceivably rare condition for a person so young, thinks Anna’s health aide, a would-be doctor herself and Syrian refugee who shares Anna’s sexual predilection but for whom the inclination makes for an even greater issue, what with her culture’s aversion to homosexuality.
All in all, a compelling read for me, Silberstein’s novel, particularly as I say with my recent health scare, even if I was left pretty much clueless by many of the software references, which will no doubt be more understandable to younger, more technologically oriented readers.

I adored this book and read it in two days. The rich character development, the moving plot, the myriad of emotions, all captured me. It had the heart and complexity of one of my favorite novels, "The Covenant of Water." I was rooting for Anna and Batul throughout the whole story. I've been thinking a lot about the ending and while I wish it was different, I understand why the author wrote it the way he did. This is a book I will be thinking about long after the last page. Well done!