Based on a true story, Escape from Konigsberg is Lloyd Pilling Tosoff’s fourth novel. After watching his beloved home of Königsberg fall into communist hands during the last days of WWII and faced with unspeakable tragedy, 16-year-old Walter Heinrich bravely escapes, along with his two young sisters on what may have been the last coal train to Berlin where Walter begins a quest that changes his life forever. A coming of age war novel that touches the heart.
Escape from Königsberg is an epic human drama set in the former German province of East Prussia during the last days of WWII. Based on a true story, it follows one family’s struggle to survive the brutal onslaught of the Soviet Red Army, and the Allied bombing campaign that leveled the 700-year-old city. After watching his beloved home of Königsberg fall into communist hands and faced with unspeakable tragedy, 16-year-old Walter Heinrich bravely escapes, along with his two sisters aged six and 10, on what may have been the last coal train to Berlin before the tracks of the Prussian Eastern Railway are destroyed. Captured by German soldiers, Walter is faced with a harrowing stay at the Mausbacher Waisenhaus in Berlin, before escaping and setting out on a quest that changes his life forever. A complex plot that takes the reader on an intimate journey that pits the indomitable human spirit against the evil and devastation of war, Walter’s story is an accurate portrayal of the suffering of the German people as a result of Hitler’s criminal regime. Filled with adventure, narrow escapes from death, unlikely friendships, bittersweet reunion and a touching love story, Escape from Königsberg is a gripping novel. Love, loss, and hope define this beautifully written novel.
“a beautifully depicted love story (in the midst of) the impossible predicament of so many Germans at the time—loyal to their native land but also left at the mercy of an insanely criminal regime.”
– Kirkus Reviews
