Caroline Wahl: How St. Moritz became the setting for her fourth novel
Until now, Samara was only Ida's best friend from "Windstärke 17". In "1999 Meter über dem Meer", she gets her own story – and ends up in St. Moritz, where she poses as a photographer. Caroline Wahl talks about courage, imposture, the art scene in the Engadin, and the question of whether book number five will be coming next year.
Caroline Wahl is on a reading tour through Germany and Switzerland with her fourth novel "1999 Meters Above Sea Level". One stop is St. Moritz – a setting in the book.
This interview is an abridged version of a public stage conversation from Tuesday, October 20, which I moderated in St. Moritz. I have known Caroline Wahl for about a year. Until August 2026, I worked for St. Moritz Tourismus AG – the organization that supported Caroline Wahl in her research for the novel. I am mentioned in the book's acknowledgments.
You traveled here from Zurich today – Samara drove roughly the same route at about the same time of year. Your protagonist almost has a heart attack at the sight of the mountains. Do you feel the same way?
Caroline Wahl: It is overwhelming, especially on the Julier Pass – that's where you understand how small and insignificant you are yourself and how big and overwhelming the world is. The sea and the mountains both fascinate me equally, but I find the effect of the mountains even more frightening and intense. And now, walking through the village and seeing all the places that play a role in the novel, that is a very strange feeling.
From supporting character to protagonist
Samara is Ida's best friend from "Windstärke 17". When did you know that Samara would get her own story?
When I finished "Die Assistentin", I had a brief moment of panic and thought: "Shit, what do I write about now?" I wanted to follow up quickly. And then I first wrote a dragon novel and was completely immersed in it and had a really good time. I even told my parents I would only come for Christmas Eve, after which I had to go straight back to Kiel and keep writing. I sent the first thirty pages to my editor and my agent. They then asked if I had anything else. So I thought about whether I had another idea. And I like the idea of dipping into this "22 Bahnen" cosmos every now and then, seeing how Tilda, Ida, and Co. are doing, and also spending time with a different character. I asked myself who I could set off with, and Samara was immediately present. Unlike Tilda and Ida, she is more reserved, a conformist, diligent student, a very caring friend, and not as wild and reckless as Ida. And that made me wonder if she is also simmering inside and wants to break out.
The title of the 22-Bahnen cosmos always contains a number, and Samara's journey follows an alliteration: Bali, Berlin, Berge (Mountains). Coincidence or calculation?
I would say Tilda is to blame. Tilda is a mathematician and loves numbers. And now I just think it's nice that it lines up like that and there is always a number in the title.
The alliteration just happened with Samara. It started in Bali and I didn't even know exactly where it was going. I knew her first job would be in Berlin, but I didn't know about St. Moritz at all. But I knew she had to go to the mountains because she had never been to the mountains and thinks the sea is crap. She has to at least take a look at the mountains! She ends up in the Allgäu first, but that's too provincial for her, and it continues to St. Moritz. Samara and I share this fascination for extreme places. And I just wanted to go there, wanted to see what it's really like. And I was so happy that thanks to Samara, I could come here too. We both only knew St. Moritz from taff segments.
How St. Moritz got into the novel
How did it come about that St. Moritz became one of the settings – perhaps almost the most important one – in this novel?
I once met a gallery owner in Berlin whose girlfriend is active in the art bubble in St. Moritz and always goes there over Christmas and New Year's. I asked him a bit about what it's like up there. These are things that occupy me in everyday life without me thinking directly about writing a novel about them. And then I'm in writing mode and Fritzi [the editor's note: Samara's love interest] says he has an apartment in St. Moritz, and that's how it happened.
How did you approach your research?
In everyday life, I never play my author card. I don't go into a restaurant and say: "Hey, I'm an author, give me a table" or something like that. For this novel, I played this card for the first time and realized: It actually works quite well! I wrote to the tourist office and said I'm writing a novel about your village. Can you show it to me? And that's how I got to know places I probably never would have found on my own, and heard stories I wouldn't have learned otherwise. That's how Samara made me braver, too. And some readers come up to me after a reading and say that Samara made them braver as well.
In everyday life, I never play my author card.
Did your view of St. Moritz change when you were here?
It changed completely! I think it's two things: The nature is simply overwhelming and incredibly beautiful. Even now, it looks completely different than it did three weeks ago when I was here last. And the second thing is the people who live here. I met so many people who know how to appreciate nature and take full advantage of it – and go skiing during their lunch break, for example! Actually, I wanted it to be a real road novel and for Samara to be on the road the whole time and then drive to Italy. And then I was here during the writing process – and we both got stuck.
Faking it to find oneself
Samara struggles with dark thoughts, especially at the beginning. Do these resolve over the course of the book because she pretends to be someone else?
I think she finds more of herself in this impostor life. She doesn't take her own identity and history with her. That's how she learns to better control the depression and the dark clouds. At the beginning, she has no orientation, and that changes in the mountains.
She infiltrates the art scene and poses as a photographer. How come the art bubble gets such a big space in the novel?
The art world is simply exciting, and art itself is a form of imposture, isn't it? You claim things that you cannot verify quantitatively. After all, Samara can't say she's a skier; she'd be found out quickly. I didn't want to judge anything with this novel, not the art scene, not the people. I just want to hang out with Samara and observe.
Art itself is a form of imposture, isn't it?
The cover features a poster design from the 2nd International Automobile Week in 1930. How did you find the image?
That was my editor's idea. He is very into art and posters, and we knew immediately: This is it! And only afterwards did we find out that it shows the Bernina Pass, which also plays a role in the novel. That was an absolute full-circle moment.
Back to Switzerland
You lived and worked in Zurich for a year. How was that time?
I had a really shitty time in Zurich back then. I lived there for a year and worked as an assistant at a renowned publishing house. During that time, I wrote "22 Bahnen". I just wanted to get out of that city and then moved to Rostock out of defiance because I had always wanted to live by the sea.
And today?
For the first few years, I also had readings in Zurich and it was always annoying to return. The city was somehow too beautiful, too rich, and always reminded me of the year I spent there. But now it's shifting; I've come to terms with it. And yesterday I had a special moment: I stood by the lake and had a feeling that I could live here sometime.
I stood by the lake and had a feeling that I could live here sometime.
The dragon novel and the fifth book
You are currently on a reading tour. Do you also write during this time?
Yes, I always try to write. In the morning in the hotel lobby or in the breakfast room, I like to sit down and dive into the story. It's a bit like being at home. When a project is finished, I need the next one immediately, otherwise there's this emptiness.
You mentioned a dragon novel at the beginning. Will there ever be...
I'm already saying yes before you've finished the question. It has to come, right?
Definitely! You have published a book every year since your debut "22 Bahnen". The big question: Will there be a fifth book next year?
I'm still thinking about it. People also seem to be angry that I'm delivering so quickly. So I thought, then I can take more time for once – and see if that makes them happier.
Can you reveal anything about the next book?
For the first time, I've tried a male perspective. It's a multi-perspective novel. I like that anyway, when perspectives intertwine like that and it's shown how similarly or differently things are perceived. I'm playing with that right now and it's a lot of fun!
Book lover and loud laugher.
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