Man on the Tightrope by Neil Patterson

In post-World War II Czechoslovakia, a circus owner/operator named Cernik is frustrated by his country’s now-Communist government and is determined to escape to Austria.  After being interrogated by the state security enforcers, Cernik’s plans are forced into a faster-than-planned timeline.  He must contend with spies for the state, competing circuses, a beautiful but perhaps unfaithful wife, and a willful daughter in order to bring the plan to fruition and bring his entire circus across the border.

This book really is a lost treasure. I picked it up along with a batch of extremely cheap pulp-era paperbacks, and based purely on the cover art, I wasn’t expecting all that much. Happily, I was pleasantly surprised.  I also hadn’t realized that it is based on a true story.  It first appeared as the magazine novel, "International Incident" and was based on the actual escape of the Circus Brumbach from East Germany in 1950. The author, Neil Patterson (James Edmund Neil Patterson), was a well-regarded Scottish writer and among his works is the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay (1959’s "Room at the Top").  This book, too, was turned into a movie a year following publication.

It’s a pretty quick read and it kept me engaged throughout.  I would recommend it to others except it might be very difficult to obtain. It reads like an adventure novel of daring escape and after reading it, I am interested to chase down the movie as well.  Although you know how that goes…