Only Breath & Shadow: A Conversation with the Story

Hi, I thought I would prepare a short Q&A about my forthcoming book, Only Breath & Shadow, which tells you about the story and also some background to the real characters that appear in the book.

Q: What is the central setting and historical context of Only Breath & Shadow? 

A: The novel is set in 1930s Vienna, specifically capturing the atmospheric transition from the city’s vibrant coffeehouse culture to the dark reality of the Anschluss in 1938. It explores the escalating persecution of minorities and the Jewish population and the global indifference toward the growing refugee crisis as the world moved toward World War II.

Q: Who is the protagonist, and what makes his perspective unique? 

A: The story follows Christian Drewe, an English gentleman who was blinded and scarred during the Battle of the Somme in the Great War. Because Christian is physically blind, the narrative is uniquely sensory; he experiences Vienna through the "crystalline notes" of church bells, the "warm yeast" of bakeries, the "choking reek of diesel" from Nazi tanks, and the cold steel of a gun barrel.

Q: What is the core conflict that drives the plot? 

A: Christian’s quiet life is upended when his Jewish friends, Otto and Anna Friedmann, are arrested and sent to concentration camps. Christian finds himself the unlikely protector of their four young children, hiding them in his apartment, an act of high risk in an "Aryan" building. Aided by the spirited American singer, Claire Astor, he must orchestrate a desperate mission to get the children to safety before the Gestapo discovers them.

Q: Who is the primary antagonist? 

A: The main threat is Gestapo Major Ernst Schmidt, a man determined to root out enemies of the state. Schmidt has a personal vendetta against Christian’s circle and uses surveillance, interrogation, and psychological games to pressure Christian into betraying his friends, particularly the gallery owner Tomas Skeres.

Q: How does the book blend historical fact with fiction? 

A: The novel weaves fictional characters with real-life figures and events. It prominently features the mission of Gil and Eleanor Kraus, a Jewish-American couple who historically rescued fifty children from Vienna in 1939. It also includes the tragic story of Paul O’Montis, a famous cabaret artist who was persecuted by the Nazis for his provocative satire and homosexuality.

Q: What are the main moral themes of the novel? 

A: A major theme is the irony of sight. While Christian is physically blind, he possesses the moral clarity to see the humanity of the persecuted, while the "sighted" world around him remains blind to the atrocities being committed. The book is a powerful exploration of individual action vs. global indifference, showing that in an era of encroaching shadows, one's acts of sacrifice truly define the soul.

Q: Is this book part of a larger series? 

A: Yes, Only Breath & Shadow is the final instalment of the Castle Drogo series, bringing the saga of the Drewe family to a dramatic conclusion. While it stands as a powerful individual story, it completes a journey that began with the construction of Castle Drogo decades earlier by Christian's father, Sir Julius Drewe.