I have a guilty pleasure. I love research. If I had my way, I’d spend all day poking around in libraries, exploring significant locations, sampling local dishes or getting lost down Internet rabbit holes.
Writing crime and thriller books have taught me a thing or two – from how to prepare poisonous mushrooms to implanting audio devices in an underwired bra – both of which might come in handy one of these days.
Historical fiction, though, is a rather different beast. There’s a huge responsibility to get things right, to only out of respect for my readers, but to honour the people who lived through those times. Just to make it extra challenging, I chose to write about Swiss history, where much of the information I need is in German.
The third novel in The Years Between series takes place in Switzerland from 1928 to 1933. The Patience of Trees has two main characters, each facing their own challenges.
Charlotte is fighting for the right to vote. Swiss suffragettes battled hard to change minds, only to have their concerns dismissed as unimportant.
As a feminist, I found myself furious reading about such high-handed behaviour towards women.
Yet it was researching Olivier’s story that left me in tears. The boy is a Verdingkind, or contract child. Authorities including the government, charities, the church and private organisations removed over 100,000 people from their families. The reasons varied – disapproval of the parents’ lifestyle, single motherhood, poverty or unemployment.
Children were placed in institutions or ‘administrative detention’, generally separated from their siblings, or given to farming families as extra labour.
An extraordinary project called Our Faces, Our Stories gives voice to some of those people, now adults, enabling them to share their experiences. A distressing watch but so important.
The past is another country: they do things differently there. But if we do not learn from our mistakes, we’re doomed to repeat them.
The Patience of Trees comes out on June 6, 2026. You can buy paperback and ebook here.
3 replies to "The Past is Another Country"
I’ve recently discovered some Swiss heritage I didn’t previously know about. So this series on Switzerland is of particular interest to me as a long time reader of yours. My ancestors spoke French, so I’m trying to find out more about Switzerland’s dual identity.
Do you know where they came from, Judith?
my goodness i could not put aside this wonderful book! and that title! i have read nearly everything I can find that bears your name. just want to thank you again for your marvelous work and know that you have added tons of hours of pleasure to an old lady’s life. with all honesty “old age aint fer sisses!” but you have transported me out of my bed through time and ether to a whole new adventure. just thank you over n over!