The slow march of light A novel : inspired by a true story of resilience and hope

Bob Inama is an aspiring lawyer who is drafted into the army and stationed in Frankfurt, where he meets Luisa Voigt, a nurse and daughter of a German police officer, at a church social. They quickly become friends but are abruptly separated when Luisa's father moves the family to West Berlin. Their paths unexpectedly cross again when both are committed to dangerous missions. Bob is working undercover to gather intelligence for the U.S., and Luisa is part of a covert organization attempting to smuggle refugees, including her grandmother, from behind the newly erected Berlin Wall. The narration alternates between Moore's fictionalization of the true story of an American soldier who survived imprisonment in East Germany during the Cold War and Luisa, a fictional character inspired by individuals who risked their lives to help others escape to freedom in West Germany. As with her debut, The Paper Daughters of Chinatown (2020), Moore conveys extensive historical knowledge without sacrificing the emotional impact of the stories of two protagonists whose Christian faith helps them survive and make a difference in the face of epic adversity.