Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is the author of many historical fiction novels set between WWI and WWII. Her first series, The Reschen Valley Series- Season 1, is set in the 1920s, but in a very unusual place: a valley in the Alps.
Based on real events in that region, Chrystyna has delved into the cultural and historical fabric of that little corner of the world in a way that is truly insightful as well as engaging.
Read how this all came to life from her own words.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I write historical fantasy set in the 1920s, and I read a lot, a lot of books set in the same era. On this blog, I regularly share book reviews of novels set in the 1920s (and sometimes 1910s and 1930s). If you love this kind of setting too ➡️ Subscribe to my newsletter
Interview with author Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger
As I mentioned in my review of The Smugglers of Reschen Valley, Fritz is all but easy as a character. How did you decide to write a story about him?
This novella turned into something unique to anything else I’d ever written. I was geared toward writing a reader magnet; something I could give away for free to get people interested in my writing. After I wrote it though, I did not think it representative of my writing, so, in that respect, I may have taken too big of a risk. But how are we to develop as authors if we don’t take risks? If we don’t try something new?
The reason I wrote about Fritz was because he doesn’t appear in No Man’s Land, which is the first book in the Reschen Valley series. But in that novel, he has left a man for dead. And I wanted to understand what drove him to that. I did picture someone who had completely lost his mind, so I wanted to explore why and how he had come to attack Angelo Grimani (one of the main characters). And why did Jutta hate him so much (the innkeeper plays a major role in my series). Lastly, as I was doing research in South Tyrol, someone told me that I really needed to write about the smugglers. It was while I was cleaning my office and listening to a report on Swiss smugglers in the 60s and 70s, that all the pieces to Fritz’s story fell together. I wrote the whole first draft in less than a week. It just flowed out, turning into a dark, dark, dark tale. Yet, Fritz was so alive to me that I dared not stop his voice. I sent it to my editor, who came back and said, “It’s a risk, but it’s a good story.” In the end, I chose to not give it away for free as a “sample of what I write”, but I did build it into the box set for the first half of the Reschen Valley series. I think, when you’ve read No Man’s Land and The Breach—the first two books—you get a good sense of what I care about, and so the prequel after that is forgivable and perhaps intriguing.
Fritz appears (or is mentioned) in your larger work, the Reschen Valley series, where the focus is on a totally different cast. There are five books in total, including this prequel about Fritz, and it spans from the end of WW1 to the end of WW2. What is the social context in which your main characters all live?
It’s the interwar period in Italian-annexed South Tyrol and more specifically, the “Reschen Valley”, which is factually called the Oberervinschgau Valley on the Austrian/Italian border. It’s all mountains and valley. The setting is a character itself, because the series is about how the inhabitants in this valley fight the ruling Italian fascists from building a reservoir that will displace hundreds of families. The whole community relies on that land and has a very strong relationship to their natural surroundings.
The main character is Katharina Thaler, whose only remaining relative after the Great War and a flu epidemic, is her grandfather. She is set to become one of the first women to ever inherit a dairy ranch. But one day, when she’s out in the mountains with her dog, she discovers an Italian veteran and civil engineer who’s been stabbed and left to die. Saving Angelo Grimani’s life propels both Katharina and the stranger into a labyrinth of corruption, prejudice and greed, especially after the valley discovers what the Italians are after.
Your Reschen Valley trilogy begins in the 1920s, yet it is very different from any other 1920s stories I’ve read. What made you decide on this slice of history in particular?
I travelled there in 2002 and when I saw the church tower sticking out of a four-mile-long mountain reservoir, I had to know what and how that happened. It was that simple. It took me nearly 10 years to get a handle on the basics, as well as the language, and after an interview with the locals, I dove into learning enough Italian that I could interpret the government documents I found in the archives in Bolzano (the main city in South Tyrol). This was all before AI, so, I really sweated. What I discovered was a story of lawlessness, corruption and greed.
If a reader loves the 1920s, but is not sure whether this particular take is for them, what would you tell them? How does your story stand in the general mood of 1920s stories?
No flappers or speakeasies here. This is like 1923 (from the Yellowstone series) or the Thorn Birds saga but set in northern Italy. This story will certainly help readers to understand why WW2 broke out. So, if you enjoy learning about different cultures, if you like the kinds of books that teach you something, or expand your knowledge (such as, did you even know there is a German-speaking part of Italy?), then this series is for you. It is a slower burn compared to my other historical novels. But if you prefer to sink into a world and linger with a cast of characters rather than devouring pages, you will not be disappointed by this story.
You mention that this series is not like your other books. How would you define your other books?
The rest of my books for adults are set in WW2 and are fast-paced, the kind you devour in one or two sittings. They feature women pulling up their moral bootstraps and building up the courage to organize and join resistance networks, spies, and operatives across different European countries. My heroines are composites of real heroes, and the stories are all inspired by real history. I have also written two middle-grade novels for Scholastic set in the current war in Ukraine. They feature young teenagers navigating through the disruption that wars and conflict cause, as well as finding ways to work together for the common good. All of these opportunities just keep developing me as a writer. Now, I’m working on a historical fiction story with fantasy and time-travelling elements, something postively different for me once again.
I guess experimenting with Fritz Hanny in The Smuggler of Reschen Pass, I have learned that taking risks is okay. What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger, right?
The Reschen Valley complete series
Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger
Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger has written over a dozen historical fiction novels, a collection of short stories, essays, and two novels for middle-grade readers. She is currently working on a new book for middle grade readers with fantasy elements, too! She is published by Bookouture (Hachette, UK) and Schoalstic USA.
You can read the first novel in the Reschen Valley series for free (and if you do, don’t forget to leave a review for Chrystyna 😜)
Download it here.
1920, former Austrian Tyrol. Katharina Thaler prepares to be the first woman to ever own a farm in the Reschen Valley. The Great War has taken more than her beloved family, it has robbed the province of its autonomy and severed it in half. As her countrymen fight to prevent the annexation to Italy, Katharina finds a wounded Italian engineer on her mountain. Her decision to save Angelo Grimani’s life, however, thrusts both of them into the middle of a new world order—a labyrinth of corruption, prejudice, and greed.
