Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman

Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman is a gripping work of narrative history that tells the extraordinary story of a group of young East Germans who risked imprisonment, torture and death to escape across the Berlin Wall during the height of the Cold War. Published by Hodder & Stoughton in 2021, this paperback combines meticulous historical research with the pace and tension of a thriller.

At the centre of Tunnel 29 is a daring plan to construct a tunnel beneath the Berlin Wall, allowing people trapped in East Berlin to escape to the West. The project began in 1962, only months after the Wall was constructed, when a group of young men living in West Berlin decided to dig beneath the heavily guarded border. Their aim was audacious: to create a secret underground route through which friends, relatives and other East Berliners could reach freedom.

Helena Merriman reconstructs the operation through archival material, interviews and previously unseen or lesser-known sources. The narrative reveals the extraordinary practical difficulties involved in the excavation, from removing tonnes of soil without attracting the attention of the East German authorities to maintaining secrecy among a growing network of people involved in the escape plan.

Tunnel 29 refers to the tunnel’s eventual use as an escape route. Over a period of just a few days, dozens of people made their way through the passage from East Berlin to the West. Yet the operation was surrounded by danger. The East German Ministry for State Security, the Stasi, was actively searching for escape networks, while informants and surveillance created the constant possibility of betrayal.

Merriman also places the story within the broader history of divided Berlin and the Cold War. The construction of the Berlin Wall transformed everyday life for millions of people almost overnight, separating families, friends and communities. The escape attempts that followed became powerful symbols of resistance to the East German regime.

A journalist and broadcaster, Helena Merriman brings considerable narrative skill to the subject, combining the detail of historical investigation with the immediacy of personal testimony. Tunnel 29 is an absorbing choice for readers interested in the Berlin Wall, Cold War history, East Germany, escape stories and the remarkable lengths ordinary people went to in pursuit of freedom.

Condition: Very Good – Light shelf wear and foxing present.