Book Review: Back in the D.D.R.
Back in the D.D.R. Rick Kaempfer, Eckhartz Press, 23 November 2022, Paperback, ~300 pages.
Reviewed by Charles Kuner.
For those reminiscing on or wishing they could have visited Cold War Europe, this reviewer has the next best alternative for you, in the form of Rick Kaempfer’s fascinating new novel Back in the D.D.R. In his highly polished and breezy writing style, Kaempfer takes the reader on a literary adventure of a lifetime, back to Checkpoint Charlie and the whispers of espionage.
The story begins in 1976 in Chicago during America’s Bicentennial Celebration. At the surface this is a tale of a family vacation from their home in Chicago to their familial homeland of Germany. This journey combines all the emotions of the main characters and contains intrigue, suspense, fears, tears, and much more in between.
It should be stated that the story is based upon the extraordinary experiences of the author. Thirteen-year-old Rudi, the protagonist and narrator of the story, has struggled to assimilate to life as a teen in the United States, and unfortunately for Rudi, just as he is beginning to feel at home in this new life, his mother and father decide to move again to West Germany. To remain in touch with his new American identity, Rudi brings his baseball cards, his love for American television shows like The Untouchables and Welcome Back, Kotter, and a sadness at missing the Bicentennial Celebration that upcoming Fourth of July.
Despite his partial Americanization, Rudi finds it difficult to navigate his way through American military bases and the tangle of German and Austrian family members, many of whom are strangers he is meeting for the first time. Adding to this confusion is the Cold War tension and violence that Rudi does not fully comprehend. Combined, all these new experiences leave young Rudi feeling overwhelmed and in “a double fish out of water tale.” Soon Rudi’s adventure to Europe becomes even more unusual as he and his family cross the Iron Curtain into East Germany, where he begins to understand the real reasoning behind his family vacation.
This story is set in 1976, and Kaempfer refers to a great number of cultural, political, and social events. Why does he keep using these references? To show the reader that nothing happens in a vacuum, that there are always outside influences that impact our daily lives. Kaempfer wants the reader to see a more holistic perspective of Rudi and his experiences. As an example, the 1970s can be described as a decade of social disconnection and upheaval—it was a time of rising drug use, urban poverty, racial strife, economic hardships, deindustrialization, and above all, gas shortages and embargoes. It was also a time of political drifting, especially as the flower children of the 1960s drifted into the post-Watergate world of the 1970s.
In Europe, the political upheaval manifested itself in the rise of Soviet-sponsored political terrorism. Groups such as The Red Brigades, The Red Faction Army, and the P.L.O. wreaked havoc throughout Europe, and events such as the Munich Olympic Attack and the bombing of the Heidelberg Barracks (both in 1972) increased anxiety throughout the continent, mixing fears of the Soviet Union and anti-Americanism. These sentiments and anxieties were global as well, with the Vietnam War, the Angolan Civil War, the Irish Troubles, the Italian Years of Lead, and the Iranian Revolution serving as just a few examples. In sum: The 1970s were filled with clashes of Cold War cultures and politics, values, and lifestyles, and this tumultuous background is reflected in Kaempfer’s Back in the D.D.R.
Kaempfer’s writing style takes the reader back in time and right into the midst of the story with a flow and a rhythm in the writing. Each chapter is subdivided by breaks that help to define events and move the story along at a brisk and consumable pace. Additionally, the dialogue of Kaempfer’s characters is conversational in tone and polished, and their actions are believable, even as fate takes a seemingly important role. Fate is timing, to be in the right place at the right time, and the twists and turns in the novel serve the suspense and the drama, without feeling superfluous, but fateful. For Rudi and the reader, these experiences are akin to being taken on a long bumpy ride where nothing is really under control. As a kid, it feels like fate for Rudy’s decisions are not wholly his own. One more thing concerning Kaempfer’s writing: These characters are not cardboard cutouts. They read and feel real, which, considering the autobiographical nature of this novel feels right since they are loosely based upon real people.
An underlying question throughout the novel, or at least once they arrive in the D.D.R., is whether Rudi’s father was a C.I.A. asset. This question is never fully answered. However, hints of that possibility are strewn throughout the story, leaving it up to the reader to decide.
Geographical literacy is a key element of the novel as the story takes place in seven distinct countries, and in each of these nations, the story is in multiple locations. Having an understanding of the geography, when added to Kaempfer’s descriptive and detailed writing, helps to transport the reader to these locations. Indeed, the reader may begin to feel as if they are physically accompanying Rudi and his family as they travel.
This fantastic story ends on a triumphal note for thirteen-year-old Rudi, who is forced to mature in a short time. Emblematic of this dawning maturity is when Rudi states, “In Chicago I always felt like a German boy pretending to be American, in Germany I discovered that I was not pretending.”
I enjoyed the acknowledgment section, as it further brings to life the people, places, and events that really happened and serves to further enhance the story. The background information on the author was helpful. Additionally, this reviewer would like to thank Derek Roth for his attractive book cover.