'Already hailed as a Cold War classic.' Boyd Tonkin, Independent Books of the Year 'Utterly absorbing, funny and humane. A romp through a twisted century in the heart of Europe.' Anna Funder, author of Stasiland International bestseller and Winner of the German Book Prize A sweeping story of one family over four generations in East Germany: the intertwining of love, life and politics under the GDR regime.

Eugen Ruge was born in the Urals and studied mathematics in Berlin. Before leaving ...