Fiction

An Honest Man

An Honest Man

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  • Create Date：2021-07-25 08:51:29
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ben Fergusson
  • ISBN：0349142572
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Summary

In West Berlin in 1989， eighteen-year-old Ralf has just left school and is living a final golden summer with his three best friends。 They spend their days swimming， smoking and daydreaming about the future， oblivious to the storm gathering on the other side of the Berlin Wall。

But an unsettling discovery about his family and a meeting with the mysterious Oz shatters everything Ralf thought he knew about love and loyalty。 And as old Cold War tensions begin to tear his life apart， he finds himself caught up in a web of deceit， forced to make impossible choices about his country， his family and his heart。

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Reviews

Stan ，

I thoroughly enjoyed this， and found myself fully immersed in the world of Ralf and Oz。 So much so that I felt that aching sense of loss after finishing a really good book – the sorrow that you can no longer stay a part of that world after turning the last page。 I simply read the whole book again， not something I’ve ever done before， that I can recall。There are some very vivid characterisations and descriptions， some wonderful period details which suggest lots of research， and a genuine feel for I thoroughly enjoyed this， and found myself fully immersed in the world of Ralf and Oz。 So much so that I felt that aching sense of loss after finishing a really good book – the sorrow that you can no longer stay a part of that world after turning the last page。 I simply read the whole book again， not something I’ve ever done before， that I can recall。There are some very vivid characterisations and descriptions， some wonderful period details which suggest lots of research， and a genuine feel for teenage heartache， sexuality and sensibilities， as Ralf’s life is transformed several times over on his journey to adulthood。 I particularly liked the way the book deftly transformed itself between genres too， a blend of coming of age story， spy thriller and period piece。I hadn’t realised this was the third of a （loose） trilogy when I picked it up， so I’m looking forward to revisiting Windscheidstraße soon。（view spoiler）[Perhaps my only （minor） gripe was with the choice to frame the story in the present day， with the narrator looking back on events。 The occasional references to the narrator’s present life pulled me out of the story， and seemed only to be there to unfairly play with the reader’s expectations。 When I reached the end of the penultimate chapter， I thought it was the end of the book – and it was an ending I was entirely happy with （clear enough what had happened， vague enough to suggest all kinds of future possibilities）。 So the final chapter， in the present day， felt uneccessary and perhaps over-sentimental。 It also seemed to undermine one of the themes of the book – the continuous change in our lives。 Having said that， I can appreciate why many would have enjoyed the ending， and it certainly didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the rest of the book。 The ginko flower was a nice touch too。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Kevin Wilcoxon ，

A real thriller with lots of surprises and a gay love story。

Mark Standen ，

A great thriller set in Cold War-era West Berlin！

Dominique Laquis ，

Everything I love in a book - historical fiction， coming of age， set in the summer， love， friendship， family dynamics， flawed but likable characters。 Throw in some espionage and you’ve got a thrilling， gripping story with captivating descriptions。 Loved it。 The end left me crying at 4am

Daniel De Lost ，

Reading Ben Fergusson's "An Honest Man" is a very meaningful moment in one's life: the combination of the haunted love story， the espionage thriller and the coming of age story taking place in one of the world's darkest times ever， is what makes this novel so peculiar， compelling。In a way， Fergusson's prose is a reminder that just 32 years ago， in the summer of 1989， the Cold War was still at its hottest。He paints a vivid picture of the divided Berlin where， even as East Germany reels from what Reading Ben Fergusson's "An Honest Man" is a very meaningful moment in one's life: the combination of the haunted love story， the espionage thriller and the coming of age story taking place in one of the world's darkest times ever， is what makes this novel so peculiar， compelling。In a way， Fergusson's prose is a reminder that just 32 years ago， in the summer of 1989， the Cold War was still at its hottest。He paints a vivid picture of the divided Berlin where， even as East Germany reels from what now seem inevitable forces of change， the Stasi secret service is still hard at work on both sides of the wall。 A divided city where the Wall was not only physical， but psychological， where its citizens didn't really belong to their own city: living on the line， in fear， where they couldn't even trust their own neighbours。The narrator and main focus of the story， Ralf sits a particularly significant year in his life。 He is eighteen and lives with his family in West Berlin。 Growing up in a bilingual household （his mother is English）， Ralf has always felt like a bit of an outsider。 In a few months him and his friends will part ways and go to separate universities （Ralf whose passion is geology plans to study in England）。 Until then they spend their days and nights relaxing: they go to the swimming pool， on nature excursions， drink together etc。 Ralf’s routine is interrupted by Oz， born to Turkish parents and a few years older than him。While the story deeps into espionage， the focus remains primarily on Ralf。 His relationship with Oz sees him embarking on a journey of self-discovery。 The approach of university also alters his perceptions about who he is and who he wants to become。 When a shocking discovery jeopardises what little normalcy his life contained， Ralf becomes further enmeshed in a web of deceit。Fergusson portrays believably fallible characters。 Ralf， somewhat understandably given that he has a lot to contend with， can be rather self-centred and bratty。 More than once I experienced second-hand embarrassment at what he says or does。 His relationship with Oz is filled with a young sort of longing， with plenty of awkward flirting and even some tender moments。 Oz’s introverted nature lends him an air of mystery， and readers， alongside Ralf， will find themselves wanting to learn more about him。Ralf’s group of friends was also solidly depicted and we get to see how his relationship with each one of his friends differs。 His friends all have their own backstory and well-defined personalities。Ralf’s relationship with his family plays a big role in the narrative， and even though we might not like or forgive Ralf’s parents， Fergusson does give these characters some nuance。 The young are driven by a innate sense of honesty， the desire to see right and wrong as absolutes but the adult world in grey， nuanced， complex。 Ralf is forced to make choices。 The power to destroy without realising just how devastating it will be makes this story all the more poignant。 This is an historical fiction that deals in lies and deceits， compulsions， and the overwhelming desires of the heart。What Fergusson truly excels at is brining the divided Berlin to life。 The setting is vividly rendered， and Fergusson creates and maintains a rather anguishing， bittersweet atmosphere。 Ralf’s narration is filled with youthful descriptions and observations。 His narrative is sensual， as he always seem to loose himself in the bodies of those around him， describing bodies， someone's details almost with the painter's accuracy。Perhaps the ending is a bit rushed， and the reader is left with a longing for a more satisfying confrontation between Ralf and certain other characters， or a better exploration of the outbreak of AIDS of those years （only hinted at）， and the aftermath of the fall of the Wall in these characters' lives。Nonethelss， ss well as a poignant love story， this novel is also a compelling， original thriller; with a not so predictable final twist that sets a powerful climax in motion just as the Wall comes down。 But this is a novel as much about the end of innocence， the limits of ideology and the pain of realising the people we love are very far from perfect。 。。。more

Dominic Hall ，

So many themes explored in this excellent thriller。 Teenage angst， loyalty， deceit， espionage， betrayal all deftly handled。 A very satisfying read。

Ian Cann ，

This was a taut tense thoughtful coming of age literary thriller with secrets and sexuality leaking off every page -Oh and yes delightfully gay as things played out。 The setting of West Berlin as the fall of the wall looms ahead for our characters like a menacing possum lurking behind a lamppost ready to grab your wallet as you pass。The atmosphere and plot all work well and the characters feel believable and knowable as family and as 18 year olds so thumbs upwards for this。

Jordan ，

Front runner for my book of the year。 This story was spellbinding。

Elizabeth Bennett ，

The only things I regret are the things I didn't do and decisions I didn't make。 When you decide to do something and it turns out to be a terrible mistake， well at least you did it。 You know it was wrong。 If you don't do something then you'll always be wondering what if？ Those questions are the ones that gnaw on you。 The only things I regret are the things I didn't do and decisions I didn't make。 When you decide to do something and it turns out to be a terrible mistake， well at least you did it。 You know it was wrong。 If you don't do something then you'll always be wondering what if？ Those questions are the ones that gnaw on you。 。。。more

Helena ，

This was beautiful。

DanSk ，

An Honest Man is a captivating read。 Beautifully paced， its strangely lyrical love story picks up speed rapidly and leaves a reader wondering until the final paragraph。 In the final third of this book， I could not put it down。This is one that will stay with me， and I’m sure will be re-read one day！

Phidias ，

4，5

Andrew Chidzey ，

This was an engaging account of life in Berlin on the eve of the fall of the Wall。 Berlin is a fascinating city that I have been lucky enough to visit so I was particularly appreciative of being able to visualise the locations and buildings around this city many of which I had walked in or accessed myself。 I did not see the twist coming - I did think some parts of the story lagged but overall found it very readable。

Silvia ，

A coming of age novel set against the backdrop of Berlin in 1989 during the summer months before the wall came down。 It’s a love story and a spy story and I was very taken with the characters’ romantic plot and thoroughly enjoyed the young protagonist’s （Ralph） self discovery and overall characterisation。 There is a strong sense of place and time in this novel and beautiful descriptions of long and hot summer days where the young group of Berliners spend idle hours by the pool or go camping wher A coming of age novel set against the backdrop of Berlin in 1989 during the summer months before the wall came down。 It’s a love story and a spy story and I was very taken with the characters’ romantic plot and thoroughly enjoyed the young protagonist’s （Ralph） self discovery and overall characterisation。 There is a strong sense of place and time in this novel and beautiful descriptions of long and hot summer days where the young group of Berliners spend idle hours by the pool or go camping where they drink beer and imagine what their future will hold。The spy story is closely linked to the romance and the reader， who is painfully aware that Ralph is naively being dragged into a spy subplot， is constantly questioning who is betraying whom and won’t know till the end。 I rooted for the two protagonists and。。。can’t say more or it would be a spoiler。 。。。more

George Fenwick ，

4。5！ really intricate and engaging plot and a very sexy love story！ was nicely surprised。

Rebecca Crunden ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ❧ audiobook reviewTHAT ENDING THOIT'S PERFECTION。 I didn't think I was going to be okay with the ending。 I was really， really worried about the ending for a second there。This book is set at the end of the Cold War， in the heart of Berlin， as Ralf and Oz fall in love。 But of course， in the end， 1989 meant neither of those things。 It just meant Oz and espionage - how grand that word sounds now。 And， I suppose my family， and the terrible things we did。Angst and espionage， you say？ （I'm not sure I e ❧ audiobook reviewTHAT ENDING THOIT'S PERFECTION。 I didn't think I was going to be okay with the ending。 I was really， really worried about the ending for a second there。This book is set at the end of the Cold War， in the heart of Berlin， as Ralf and Oz fall in love。 But of course， in the end， 1989 meant neither of those things。 It just meant Oz and espionage - how grand that word sounds now。 And， I suppose my family， and the terrible things we did。Angst and espionage， you say？ （I'm not sure I ever recovered from the gut-punching angst that was London Spy， but sure， I figured let's give 1989 yearning and secrecy a try。） This is another Joe Jameson narration， and it is a truth universally acknowledged that if Joe Jameson narrates a book， I will listen to it。 （If you've been following my reviews， he's one of my favourite audiobook narrators so far。 He voiced Caught Inside， The Prince of Thorns， The Last Romeo and The Magnificent Sons。 Amazing books， by the way。 Deffo check them out！） This book was a wonderful historical fiction about young love and family obligations。 Fergusson’s writing is lovely and I’m so glad I gave this book a chance！ Oz and Ralf are wonderful characters！Also， his description of his mum at the start straight up gives me Sex Education vibes。I really enjoyed this book and I'm definitely going to look out for more books by Ben Fergusson in future。☆ Blog | Twitter ☆ 。。。more

Steven Hoffman ，

DUPLICITY WITH A GAY TWISTFergusson is brilliant at capturing life in East Berlin right before the wall came down in 1989。 The story is told through the eyes of a young man still living with his family who begins to accept his homosexuality。 He has a terrific circle of straight friends to which he's close， but who don't know about him。 He then meets someone special and things begin to get complicated which involve Cold War politics and espionage。 This book is rich in descriptive detail with thre DUPLICITY WITH A GAY TWISTFergusson is brilliant at capturing life in East Berlin right before the wall came down in 1989。 The story is told through the eyes of a young man still living with his family who begins to accept his homosexuality。 He has a terrific circle of straight friends to which he's close， but who don't know about him。 He then meets someone special and things begin to get complicated which involve Cold War politics and espionage。 This book is rich in descriptive detail with three-dimensional characters and some great surprises。 。。。more

Darren ，

Gripping， interesting and thought provoking。 Gives a decent insight into Berlin and the wall wrapped around a well balanced story and strong characters。 Recommended

Donald Reid ，

Such a cleverly crafted tale， excavating layers of story from the characters and the political - and here politics is profoundly personal。 Beautiful， hopeful and painful。 Loved it。

Mark Birkett ，

This New Adult Romance evokes the adolescent struggle of coming to terms with who you are， but differentiates itself by throwing in a whole mystery/detective plot concerned with the fall of the Berlin Wall in the late 1980s。It was great to read a book centred on a gay protagonist that didn't reduce itself to one long， low-class sex scene。 There definitely are some raunchy descriptions - a fantasy of Ralf - the lead - wanting to suck a hairy toe comes to mind！ But the writer uses the description This New Adult Romance evokes the adolescent struggle of coming to terms with who you are， but differentiates itself by throwing in a whole mystery/detective plot concerned with the fall of the Berlin Wall in the late 1980s。It was great to read a book centred on a gay protagonist that didn't reduce itself to one long， low-class sex scene。 There definitely are some raunchy descriptions - a fantasy of Ralf - the lead - wanting to suck a hairy toe comes to mind！ But the writer uses the description for its cringe effect and its n-erotic adolescent craving for intimacy。 The story focuses on the relationships Ralf has with his friends and family as well as the Turkish lover。 And this makes it interesting， and engaging to a wide range of readers。 We're given access to those family dinners， those awkward chats with mum sitting on the edge of the bed， with the little brother farting and muttering casual homophobic comments， not because he's homophobic， but because he's picking at the vulnerability of his otherwise invulnerable big brother that he loves， admires and wants to banter with。This is a sweet story， just as much about the family， and about the conflict of wider national/ideological belonging， as it is about sexuality。 And that's what justifies my 5 star rating。Well done， Ben。 Good book。 。。。more

Connor ，

enjoyed 90% of this book， until it tried to turn into a spy thriller for the last 30 pages or so。really good portrait of 1989 berlin， and LOVED the way the main character's first relationship with a man was written。 more postitive， pure portrayals like this， please。 enjoyed 90% of this book， until it tried to turn into a spy thriller for the last 30 pages or so。really good portrait of 1989 berlin， and LOVED the way the main character's first relationship with a man was written。 more postitive， pure portrayals like this， please。 。。。more

Charlie Beaumont ，

This is a fascinating read and one I enjoyed increasingly the further the plot unravelled。 The novel for me had a number of themes， adolescence， coming of age， sexuality， relationships between parents and their children， Berlin as a city， the political context provided by the socialist east and the capitalist west with the dividing Wall very much present， and the tensions that will arise when people have different beliefs and so become wary and suspicious of each other。 The central characters we This is a fascinating read and one I enjoyed increasingly the further the plot unravelled。 The novel for me had a number of themes， adolescence， coming of age， sexuality， relationships between parents and their children， Berlin as a city， the political context provided by the socialist east and the capitalist west with the dividing Wall very much present， and the tensions that will arise when people have different beliefs and so become wary and suspicious of each other。 The central characters were， for me， all very well drawn and as a result were entirely credible。 The narrator， Ralf， even managed to fire my interest in geology and made me realise how ignorant I am about that area of science。 Do read as Ben Ferguson provides the reader with an immersive and very interesting plot。 I am so glad to have read it。 。。。more

Linda ，

„And this might have been my lasting memory of summer 1989。 Even that moment I might have forgotten， recalling only my A levels and the Wall if people asked what that year had meant to me。 But of course， in the end， 1989 meant neither of those things。 It just meant Oz， and espionage – how grand that word sounds now – and I suppose my family and the terrible things we did。“Doesn’t that make you wanting to pick this book immediately up？ Separated Germany in 1989， espionage， secrets， betrayals and „And this might have been my lasting memory of summer 1989。 Even that moment I might have forgotten， recalling only my A levels and the Wall if people asked what that year had meant to me。 But of course， in the end， 1989 meant neither of those things。 It just meant Oz， and espionage – how grand that word sounds now – and I suppose my family and the terrible things we did。“Doesn’t that make you wanting to pick this book immediately up？ Separated Germany in 1989， espionage， secrets， betrayals and queer characters…I honestly can’t believe this book wasn’t read by more people！ I’ve always been very interested in History and of course living in Germany， German history is even more special to me。 A short time ago I started watching Charité， a historical TV series about the famous German hospital in Berlin。 I was absolutely amazed and binged watched the available episodes and so it came that it threw me into a German history bubble whereas I now want to read all the books and watch all the series about German history。 And I’m so happy I picked up this book。An Honest Man is set in West Berlin a few months before the fall of the Berlin Wall and centers around 18-years-old Ralf who just took his A-Levels and wants to spend his last summer with his friends in Berlin before everyone leaves for universities in different places。 That’s when he accidentally meets Oz， a mysterious 22 years old man with Turkish origin。 Through him Ralf is thrown into a different world - full of gripping stories， Stasi spies， betrayals and desire。 He is asked by Oz to help him convict a potential spy from East Berlin who happens to be Ralfs neighbor。 Up to this point the only thing Ralf didn’t have in common with his friends was his bilingual upbringing as his mother is British （which is an interesting element in this book） and his conflicting feelings about his sexuality。 But now it’s becoming harder to spend time with his friends and his girlfriend while trying to keep his ‚mission‘ a secret。 Nevertheless I loved how the reader still gets to learn more about the side characters - I really thought them very funny， familiar and found myself wishing I could take part in their nightly outings。 Same with Ralfs parents and little brother。 The protagonist obviously has a safe support system and that’s the reason I was so anxious about what would happen in the course of the story， when everything is finally revealed。 I personally loved the ending because for me it just fit the story， it wasn’t far fetched at all and made perfect sense。 There was also a nice little surprise that I was very grateful about。 I thought I’d read a little spy story， maybe heavy on politics。 But I found so much more…with characters who came alive and whom the author fleshed out in the most wholesome way。 The different threads of the book were played out together so perfectly， and the story of Ralf and Oz becomes more and more complicated as he – and us – start to question everyone and everything that happens。 Who is telling the truth？ Who is the real spy？ As the reader comes closer to the truth， Ralf’s life is turned upside down and he has to decide what to do。 This was truly an amazing read about coming of age， history， love， friendship， betrayal and loyalty that could also be read as a little detective story。 。。。more

Denise ，

Change is in the air in West Berlin in the summer of 1989， entirely unbeknownst to Ralf and his friends who have just finished high school and are enjoying a glorious last few weeks swimming， smoking and basking in the sunshine together before each setting off on their paths into the future while world history is about to change on their doorstep。 For Ralf， however， the momentous change his life is about to undergo is of a far more personal nature。 Falling in love with the mysterious Oz， he beco Change is in the air in West Berlin in the summer of 1989， entirely unbeknownst to Ralf and his friends who have just finished high school and are enjoying a glorious last few weeks swimming， smoking and basking in the sunshine together before each setting off on their paths into the future while world history is about to change on their doorstep。 For Ralf， however， the momentous change his life is about to undergo is of a far more personal nature。 Falling in love with the mysterious Oz， he becomes drawn into a web of secrets and betrayals， caught up in Cold War espionage and deceit that leads him to a disturbing discovery about his own family。Fergusson does an excellent job at keeping the reader just as increasingly confused about truth and lies in this tangled web as his protagonist。 A clever， intricately woven， subtle spy story as well as a tale of coming of age， family drama and love story， this was a wonderfully atmospheric and suspenseful novel I couldn't put down。 Really loved the ending。 。。。more

Dylan Tierney ，

3。5 stars。 Could have been much better。

Mike Evans ，

Set in West Berlin over the summer of 89， this novel seamlessly blends cold war espionage with a coming of age romance。 Incredibly moving and gripping， with a haze of subterfuge hanging over Ralf as he gets to know the enigmatic Oz。 Fell in love with characters， and the author has managed to capture the nervous excitement of coming out， whilst weaving in a genuinely gripping mystery。

Eddie ，

A really well written novel set in a interesting historical time around the time of the Berlin wall。 An engaging read showing the authors deep understand of the late teen mind。 A very enjoyable read。

Kavin ，

'I felt as if a void had opened up around me。 I realized that up until that point I'd always felt as if my life was following a clear course， but Oz had revealed the giddy multiplicity of lives that I might live， of people I might be。 The whole world had become unstable， the things I believed， however laughable it may seems， to be permanent-my girlfriend， my friends， my family， my understanding of myself-had begun to shift。 And I had the uneasy feeling that I was just old enough to see these 'I felt as if a void had opened up around me。 I realized that up until that point I'd always felt as if my life was following a clear course， but Oz had revealed the giddy multiplicity of lives that I might live， of people I might be。 The whole world had become unstable， the things I believed， however laughable it may seems， to be permanent-my girlfriend， my friends， my family， my understanding of myself-had begun to shift。 And I had the uneasy feeling that I was just old enough to see these things shifting for the first time， a snapshot of a much longer cycle， a split second in the inestimable history of my own deep time'。 This novel have it's own pace。 It's slow and steady with a little dumpy and rough here and there。 One thing I admire about this story is the way the author describes Germany during the Cold War; the places and the situation at that era。 Everything in this novel is so unique and different。 Characters。 The author made all the characters strong and engaging。 As the book progress the shift of the characters and their development was so well executed。 It makes the reader feel for the character。 One thing I find it difficult in this book is the German names， the street names。 I had to Google to find out how to pronounce it and which part of the Wall it was located。 The author should have inserted a map to make readers easy to know the streets and which part was East Berlin and West Berlin。 Otherwise the author did a great job。 The secrets and revelation。 The self discovery of a growing up。 The mistakes the characters make and the remorse they go through。 Though I have to admit it was a little difficult for me to understand then as the story goes on I got the hang out it。 I took sometime to finish this。 I liked it。 A good book and my good first read of 2021。 。。。more

Katie Yockey ，

Absolutely couldn't put this down。 A great read， and Fergusson's twists were unexpected and thrilling。 Highly recommend！ Absolutely couldn't put this down。 A great read， and Fergusson's twists were unexpected and thrilling。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more

Mark Kwesi Appoh ，

What a great way to start 2021！ I really loved this unique， fabulously narrated story， including the audiobook‘s narrator。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=An Honest Man

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=An Honest Man&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,An Honest Man&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0