Under a brutal regime, what price must be paid to preserve truth, treasure and love in a world built on lies?
WWII Berlin. Freyja Bremer, a patriotic museum assistant, marries Kaspar Voigt, an ambitious SS scholar, to protect her father. Yet she is unaware her husband is instrumental in Himmler’s twisted quest for Aryan supremacy.
As she strives to safeguard the priceless Priam’s Treasure from air raids, Freyja falls in love with Darien Lessing, an archaeologist who exposes the moral decay beneath the Regime’s myths. Her awakening drives her into perilous resistance — aiding a Jewish doctor and his wife, Darien’s sister — while uncovering Kaspar’s role in the SS’s darkest programs, which subvert history to justify invasion, abduction and murder.
As Berlin collapses into chaos and bloodshed, Freyja, caught between duty, deception and desire, must risk everything to preserve truth in a world built on lies.
A heartbreaking yet triumphant love story, Fables & Lies shines light on lesser-known aspects of the Nazi Regime. It gives voice to the complex moral struggles of German women, the forgotten resistance of Gentiles married to Jews, the dangers of contested history, the evils of Himmler’s racial studies program and the unsung bravery of German museum curators who saved their nation’s treasures.
Perfect for readers of Kelly Rimmer, Anthony Doer and Laura Morelli.
Praise for Fables & Lies:
“A heartrending story of a young woman caught in the machinations of the Third Reich and in the web of a regime-compliant family. The novel is meticulously researched and emotionally resonant, sure to delight readers who love a hearty feast of history in their fiction.” ~ Olivia Hawker, bestselling author of The Ragged Edge of Night
“A powerful and heartbreaking story set in war-torn Berlin, FABLES & LIES charts the slow dawning horror of a young woman as she realises all she has been taught about Hitler and the Third Reich is a lie. Impeccably researched and sensitively rendered, Elisabeth Storrs has shone a light on little-known aspects of life in Germany under the Nazi regime.”
~ Kate Forsyth, bestselling author of Bitter Greens
“Written from the little explored German viewpoint, FABLES & LIES is a gripping account of the quest to save the world’s great antiquities during WW2 and an ode to those women and men who risked all for freedom. A beautifully written novel. I’ve never read anything like it.”
~ Nicole Alexander, author of The Limestone Road
“Elisabeth Storrs has indeed broken the mould by writing 'from the other side'. Evocative, detailed and heart-rending as the heroine journeys through disillusion and danger in the Third Reich.”
~ Alison Morton, author of the Roma Nova series
“A chilling and meticulously researched journey into the shadow world of the Ahnenerbe. Blending historical rigor with gripping fiction, FABLES & LIES reminds us of the devastating consequences when history is twisted to serve power.”
~ Leah Kaminsky, author of The Hollow Bones
Writing Interview questions.
Why did you choose to write your book in this era?
First, thanks for sharing news of my release of Fables & Lies. The genesis for the book was a contemporary novel I finished in 1994 after becoming fascinated with Heinrich Schliemann who discovered a fabulous cache of gold at Troy which he dubbed “Priam’s Treasure”. At that time mystery shrouded the disappearance of the Trojan gold which was held in a Berlin museum. After the Soviets plundered the trove in the fall of Berlin, they insisted it was lost in transit in the chaotic aftermath of the war. Various theories were postulated as to its whereabouts or destruction – including my rather improbable plot of locating it in suburban Sydney. Imagine my dismay (and delight) when I read in the newspaper the Russians admitted they’d hidden the treasure for nearly 50 years. My mystery became redundant and the manuscript was relegated to the bottom drawer.
My A Tale of Ancient Rome trilogy became my next obsession. When those novels were finished, I was drawn yet again to Priam’s Treasure. How had it come to be in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow? Why had the Russians lied about possessing it? I dusted off the manuscript to rewrite it as an historical novel covering the true story of the Trojan gold during WWII.
Did you find researching this era particularly difficult? What was the hardest thing to find out, and did you come across anything particularly surprising?
I found it very challenging to research modern history after a decade of being immersed in C4th BCE Rome and Etruria. Previously I was dealing with a scarcity of written sources, now I was faced with an avalanche of them. I spent a lot of time grappling with an overview of both WWI and WWII to understand the rise of the Nazis.
However, researching a novel 30 years ago was a vastly different experience than now. Previously, I’d been limited to books in my local library. Now I had access via the internet to numerous German sources. Historians included the Axis viewpoint rather than presenting the war purely from the Western Allies’ perspective.
As a result, when researching Priam’s Treasure’ disappearance, I discovered the little-known story of German museum curators who protected their nation’s (and the world’s) treasures from constant aerial bombardment. As such, I wanted to tell their tale which contrasts with the Nazis plundering both private and public collections across Europe. However, the museum curator who braved air raids to protect the antiquities was a Nazi who joined the Himmler’s SS Ahnenerbe Research Institute to protect himself from rivals and advance his career. This, in turn, led me to discover more fanatical SS scholars who twisted prehistory to promulgate the “Aryan Myth” to justify conquest, dispossession and murder.
My protagonist, Freyja Bremer, is a patriotic museum assistant raised on Nazi dogma. Through her love affair with Cambridge educated archaeologist, Darien Lessing, her eyes are opened to the rot beneath the Regime’s lies, as they both strive to protect Priam’s Treasure and other antiquities. Intertwined is Freyja’s forced marriage to Kaspar Voigt, a zealous Ahnenerbe ethnologist, and her quest to discover what her husband’s malicious research entails. As such, I was faced with the ethical dilemma of first marrying the brainwashed Freyja to Voigt who sees her as the ideal Aryan wife. I saw it as the only credible plot device to reveal his despicable actions.
Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?
The blurb doesn’t mention Berlin’s Jewish Hospital. I chanced upon the institution when researching the history of Berlin’s Jews. There was a brief mention in one text about Jewish doctors working there who were married to Gentile “Aryan” women thereby giving them “privileged” status which provided a limited degree of protection. The hospital became the only place that provided medical treatment to Jews, perversely healing them before sending them to the camps. Ultimately, it became the last transit camp in Berlin and then a refuge in the final Soviet assault. Finding reference to the hospital was a moment of serendipity as it provided the inspiration for a sub-plot exploring the persecution of “mixed race” couples. The hospital doctors faced terrible ethical choices under threat of deportation. And the pressure placed on their Gentile wives to divorce them thereby condemning their husbands to certain death was sustained and cruel. To tell their stories I created the characters of Darien’s sister, Parisa, who is married to Dr Leon Epstein. Freyja’s encounter with the couple opens her eyes to the true plight of the Jews and leads her to resistance.
If you had to describe your protagonist(s), in three words, what would those three words be and why?
Freyja is loyal, vulnerable and brave. She has been indoctrinated through her schooling in Nazi beliefs but nevertheless has qualms about the increasing repressions imposed by the Regime. She refuses to inform on her father (children were expected to tell the authorities if their parents had anti-fascist views) who is a member of a rebellious Christian group. Her loyalty to him leads to her being trapped in marriage with Voigt to protect him. Despite this, she continues to keep her father’s resistance activities secret. She is also loyal to her lover, Darien, who is threatened by Voigt. Apart from showing physical courage in safekeeping exhibits under aerial bombardment, she also shows bravery in assisting the Epsteins, and in trying to find out what her husband’s research entails. As a result, she is vulnerable to the risk of execution should her quiet resistance be discovered.
What was the most challenging part about writing your book?
Given the novel is set in wartime, there were many scenes I found harrowing to write as I highlight the suffering experienced by Berliners under devastating Allied bombing. I also deal with dark episodes in Himmler’s research programs. One scene I found difficult to write was early in the novel when Freyja is swept off her feet by Voigt who has gained fame as an explorer on an expedition to Tibet. Himmler sent such scholars to the Himalayas to find traces of “Proto-Aryans” who had survived the sinking of Atlantis. The theory was Germans were descendants of these super-humans who had spread throughout the world to seed all great civilisations. This partially underpinned the concept of the Aryan Myth. As such German-Nordic people were supposedly part of the “Master Race”. I knew I was spouting dangerous rhetoric but it was important to demonstrate how Freyja had been brainwashed throughout her schooling by such ideology so readers can appreciate her journey to enlightenment. As Primo Levi said: “When understanding is impossible, knowing is necessary.”
Was there anything that you edited out of this book that would have drastically affected the story, should it be left in?
No. However, my initial draft included a lot more detail about Himmler’s “Master Plan” but ultimately, I decided the backstory was too involved and would detract from the narrative pace and flow.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently writing a companion novel to Fables & Lies. Spanning 4,000 years, I tell the journey of Priam’s Treasure through the eyes of four women with their own secrets: Annitti, a Trojan goldsmith; Sophia, the wife of archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann; Safinova, a Soviet Trophy Brigade Major; and Freyja’s granddaughter, Mia, who seeks to solve the mystery of the gold’s disappearance.
What would you tell an aspiring author who had some doubts about their writing abilities?
All writers have doubts about their talent, especially when comparing yourself to accomplished authors. I think you have to believe in your own writing but also be open to constructive criticism. The support of a trusted writing group is vital to success. This involves going through a grieving process to “kill your darlings” i.e. denial anything could be wrong, anger at suggested flaws, bargaining with yourself to hang on to your prose, depression when you realise the critique is probably valid, and finally acceptance that you really do need to wield the “pen knife”. Going through this process repetitively gives you the ability to truly analyse your writing. And you don’t end up being a murderer every time😊 Finally – remember the 4 Ps – patience, perseverance, practice and perspiration!
Personal Interview questions.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Bushwalking (hiking). I enjoy being in nature to relax.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A librarian but I ended up being a lawyer!
What’s for dinner tonight? What would you rather be eating?
Roast chicken but I’d rather be eating Lebanese food. I love haloumi.
What would be a perfect day?
Walking along the Sydney coastline and ending up at beachside café for a meal with family and friends
What is the best part of your day?
The afternoons. This is the time when I feel the most creative. I escape into the cocoon of my imagination where ideas and words flow.
Either or!
Tea or coffee: Café latte – extra hot!
Hot or cold: Hot – I hate winter
Movie or book: Book
Morning person or Night owl: Night Owl
City or country: City girl born and bred
Social Media or book: Book
Paperback or ebook: Ebook
Elisabeth Storrs has a great love for history and myths. She is the award-winning author of A Tale of Ancient Rome trilogy which was endorsed by Ursula Le Guin, Kate Quinn and Ben Kane.
Now her obsession lies with Trojan treasure and twisted Germanic prehistory in her new release, Fables & Lies: A World War II Novel.
Elisabeth is also the founder of the Historical Novel Society Australasia and the $155,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize. She lives in Sydney with her husband in a house surrounded by jacarandas.
Follow the tour HERE!
Thank you so much for hosting Elisabeth Storrs on your lovely blog, and with such a fabulous chat. We appreciate your time.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thanks so much for interviewing me on your lovely blog!
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