Isabel on the Stairs

Twelveyearold Isabel and her mother who was a famous political singer had to escape Chile after the 1973 military coup Isabels father stayed behind fighting in the underground For six years they have lived in a new apartment building in East Berlin At first the neighbors made an effort to welcome them but later became more distant Isabel does not feel at home in the strange country Not even her friendship to Philip the neighbors son can change her mind Almost every day Isabel sits on the stairs waiting for a letter from her father from whom she has not heard for many years