Entertainment
20 September, 2026
From East Germany to Cairns
A CAIRNS author who escaped East Germany in 1989 has transformed her experience of leaving the country and rebuilding her life into a memoir-inspired novel, written more than three decades later.
Katrin Costa’s ‘The Girl in the Purple Jacket’ will be published on 7 October. The story begins in East Germany in 1989 but was written and completed in Far North Queensland, where she has built her life after 23 years in Cairns.
Ms Costa arrived in Australia on 4 August 1994, unable to speak or understand English.
She said that developing the skills to write the book had been a long process, involving years of study and learning the craft of writing. “I wanted more flexibility for creative writing, in the sense of being flexible, and a memoir requires a totally different skill set,” she said.
“Why now? Because it took me 20 years to develop my writing skills.”
Ms Costa said she spent her early years in Australia learning English before studying in Perth and Adelaide, and later moved to Cairns in 2003.
She has since operated her own business and been involved in the Cairns business community, including serving as treasurer of the Cairns Business Women’s Club.
Her memories of escaping East Germany remain central to the book. Ms Costa said that reaching the West brought a sense of disbelief as events rapidly outpaced her experience, culminating in the fall of the Berlin Wall.
“It wasn’t just freedom for me. It was freedom for everyone in the East,” she said.
Ms Costa said she chose a memoir-inspired novel to give herself greater creative flexibility while exploring questions about the choices people make and their capacity to change.
The book is being published by Dr Juliet Lachemeier, a Palm Cove resident, through The Erudite Pen.
Ms Costa said plans for a formal launch were still under discussion, with the book to be released first, followed by a possible event at a later date.
