Title: The Music Makers

Author: James D. Snyder

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

The year is 1989 and a wall runs through Berlin dividing half of Germany’s citizens. This partition was constructed in 1961 in an attempt to prevent Western ideas (i.e. Capitalism, Democracy) from subverting the Communist rule. Greta Braun survived the cataclysmic Second World War only to be faced with the prospect of a new war while raising her children, Max and Heidi. The tension between the US and the USSR has ebbed and flowed over four decades, but the authoritative nature of the government has been constant. Order is enforced on the eastern side of the wall by the repressive Stasi and surveillance is ubiquitous. However, western ideas have begun to creep in via underground networks, and an out-of-touch Socialist government is vulnerable to change.

James D. Snyder adeptly reflects on an important time in history for Germany and the world in his brilliant and strong narrative. Snyder introduces many of the key characters in the book in an innovative manner wherein the personalities introduce themselves in a brief conversation with the author/interviewer. Snyder’s compelling drama is told through multiple viewpoints providing more depth to the story.

Greta Braun is a charismatic woman who can persuade even the surliest of Stasi agents. Her children mean the world to her and their relationship along with the generational differences that separate them from a crucial element of the story. While portraying Greta as a spirited woman capable of rebellion, Snyder doesn’t subtract any of Greta’s maternal instincts from her concerns for Max and Heidi’s future. Greta admonishes Max over his playing music with subversive lyrics while worrying over Heidi’s feelings for a Stasi agent. The past is painful for Greta and never far from her thoughts about her children’s time ahead.

The wariness inherent in people living in a locked-down society is palpable throughout this fine book. The Brauns and other East Berlin residents live under the threat of a fateful knock on their door and being escorted by the Stasi to Lichtenberg for an interrogation, which may result in an indefinite incarceration. The government’s rule is enforced by their intelligence service/police force who keep voluminous files on the public. The Stasi rely on informers who provide incriminating tidbits about their fellow citizens thus enabling a snitch culture and sowing discord between neighbors. Snyder’s portrayal of the Stasi’s fearsome presence is spot-on and valuable to the plot.

The story is told through the eyes of oppressed citizens such as Greta, Max, and Heidi as well as authority figures like Major Pushkin. Greta’s past is alluded to, but a more in-depth examination of her romance with a significant political figure would be beneficial to her character’s arc.

The Music Makers is an intelligent and captivating novel exploring the waning days of Communism and the uncertain future that lay outside the walls. The characters within are multilayered and serve to strengthen the book. James D. Snyder’s wonderful novel about freedom, relationships, and music is impactful from start to finish and evokes thoughts of the excellent non-fiction Burning Down the Haus (Tim Mohr 2018).

 

 

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