Gene Barton, a successful attorney at a law firm based in New York and Boston, a member of Historical Writers Association, and a tennis player who still competes from time to time, has completed his most recent book “Walled Off”: a sweeping story of two madly in love individuals who got separated by a life-altering circumstance. As Sylvia moves forward with her life and Tomas finds success in the literary field, the past lovers found their paths crossing once again.
Gene writes, “Walled Off is a work of historical fiction about the Berlin Wall. It is the story of two young East Berliners desperately in love who are separated when a barbed-wire fence was driven into the streets and soul of Berlin, cleaving it in two for nearly thirty years. Sylvia Lenz dramatically escapes to the West on the night the Wall came down, leaving her beloved Tomas behind. He is shipped to a brutal Siberian gulag where the only thing keeping him sane is his love for Sylvia. He spends his days in isolation, writing in his mind the book that will someday set him free.
Walled Off is a story of love and loss. It portrays the horrors of life in Stasiland and of incarceration in the gulags. Days stretch into months and then years. Sylvia moves on with her life in West Berlin but never stops looking over her shoulder for Tomas. Tomas becomes a world-famous author but is still trapped behind the Iron Curtain. Yet just as the Wall appears impenetrable, cracks begin to appear and David Bowie famously turns and sings his song “Heroes,” and the Wall comes crumbling down.
Sylvia and Tomas meet and attempt to rekindle the incredible love of their youth, but the tyranny and terror of the Berlin Wall has fundamentally changed both of them, particularly Tomas. Their love is severely tested during this dramatic historic era.”
Published by Fulton Books, Gene Barton’s book is a brilliant and captivating read with a dose of history written within its pages.
Gene Barton showcased in this novel that love has its obstacles, it never runs so smoothly and sometimes it also offers great loss.
Readers who wish to experience this riveting work can purchase “Walled Off” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes & Noble.
