The American Wife
1938: Shattered fragments of glass snap under my feet as I tread quietly into what was my best friend’s apartment. Now as I frantically look around in horror, I know that the worst has happened – she has been taken by the Gestapo. And I realise with certainty what I have to do next, but will I be too late to save her?
From the moment the Nazis arrived in Vienna, I knew everything would change, especially for my closest friend, Judith. The very fact that she is Jewish means she is in danger, but I hoped that she’d get her visa in time to leave the country. That they wouldn’t come for her…
But I was wrong. And when Judith is taken by the Gestapo, I realise I only have one choice: save my dearest friend or betray the man I love? Because I am a diplomat’s wife, I know I can steal the papers that will allow Judith to escape to safety. It’s the hardest choice I have ever had to make, but I know I must be brave, and do the right thing, no matter what…
And besides, I’ve started to wonder which side of the war my husband, Edgar, is really on. Ever since I joined him in Europe, I’ve watched him grow distant and secretive. And as his behavior gets stranger, and he pushes me even further away, I begin to wonder: how well do I know the man that lies beside me every night?
So as I creep into my husband’s study in the dead of night, I know in my heart I’m doing the right thing. But, will I be too late to save my best friend and, if I get caught, what will happen to me…?
An absolutely heartbreaking, powerful and gripping story about finding love, resilience and friendship in the midst of the darkness of World War 2. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, My Name is Eva and All the Light We Cannot See.
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About the Author
Award-winning historical fiction!
Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is a Ukrainian-American who transplanted to Austria. She is the granddaughter of Ukrainian partisans and grandparents who survived a Nazi concentration camp.
Born in 1969, she grew up in the culture-rich neighborhood of "Nordeast" Minneapolis, part of the Ukrainian diaspora, and started her writing career with short stories, travel narratives, and poetry. She worked as a journalist and managing magazine editor, before jumping the desk and pursuing her own writing and traveling.
Her books tackle David-vs.-Goliath themes with strong women battling for the Underdogs against a system, be it political, geographical, or industrial. Sometimes all three. "I enjoy discovering the good, the bad, and the ugly in my characters when they come into conflict," she says. "And all of my stories have been inspired by injustices I've discovered along my travels."
The RESCHEN VALLEY series is based on the South Tyrolean-Italian conflict during the interwar period and was inspired by her travels to the Reschen Lake reservoir.
Her collection of short stories, which "reads like a novel", SOUVENIRS FROM KYIV won the silver medal in the IPPY Book Awards 2020 and features six stories inspired by true accounts from WW2 Ukraine. THE WOMAN AT THE GATES she calls her magnum opus and is based on her family in WW2 Ukraine.
THE GIRL FROM THE MOUNTAINS was inspired by an anecdote about a Nazi family from Austria.
Her DIPLOMAT'S WIFE trilogy (2023) follows Kitty Larsson, a U.S. senator's daughter who marries an Austrian diplomat before the Anschluss, only to discover that his family is not what she thought they were. Part spy-thriller, part political-thriller, the series promises a wild romp as Kitty navigates the events of WW2 with her moral compass in hand.
For more on Chrystyna, dive in at inktreks(dot)com.
AWARDS:
IPPY Book Award 2020 silver medal winner for SOUVENIRS FROM KYIV.
Long-listed in the Flash500 Novel Competition 2017 for No Man's Land/The Breach.
Winner of the Flash500 Short Story Competition with an extract from Bolzano.
Winner of the Coffee Pot Book Club Book Award Box and Box Set of the Year 2019 for the Reschen Valley Box Set.
A Discovered Diamond, shortlisted for Book of the Month July 2019, Reschen Valley Box Set
Reader's Favorite 5-star reviews for Bolzano, The Smuggler of Reschen Pass, and Magda's Mark (featured in The Road to Liberation Collection).
HNS International Short Story 2nd Place Winner 2014 for Souvenirs from Kyiv (short story in the Souvenirs from Kyiv collection)