Really eye opening and enjoyable, would love to read other works by Dowswell. Sektion 20 is a brilliantly written, suspense-filled novel which shows how suffocating Eastern Bloc life could be for its younger citizens and how terrifying this apparently free Communist state had become by the time Alex was a teenager. Dowswell builds the suspense and small things, such as missing underwear are noticed and Alex’s family know they need to take action and despite his parents being model citizens and faultless party members, they realise their children are at risk. Alex knows he needs to outwardly appear like the model Socialist he finds it near impossible but knows if he can’t keep up the façade his whole family will be at risk.Īlex sees his friends disappear and soon his family feel the Stasi closing in on their home. In fact, Alex idolises the West, loves Rock Music and Western fashion and this has caused suspicion and attracted the attention of the Stasi.

Sektion 20 is mainly the story of Alex Ostermann who has lived in East Berlin his whole life but is far from the model Socialist citizen. This story worked perfectly, clearly showed how lift in the Communist East was far from the idyll that they portrayed it to be and Dowswell is really accomplished in his style and choice of language for all characters.

Sektion 20 is far and beyond one of the best accounts of post-War Eastern-Bloc Germany I have ever read and I’ve studied German History at degree level. It looked like it was going to be action-packed and adventurous which is not my usual style. When I received this novel in my last haul from Emma, I have to say the cover didn’t impress me.

Hair Decoration by Paul Dowswell