Der Verschwundene

The bestseller from the Netherlands: melancholic, thrilling, and highly emotional! Awkwardly, Simon and his nephew shook hands at the airport. A hesitant and shy boy, with very long arms and just beginning to grow facial hair. His desperate mother had suddenly called her brother, who had emigrated to Canada, after years of silence and urged him to take the boy in "for a while." Simon's murmured "Let him come" soon proves to be a mistake. With the arrival of his nephew, Simon loses his cherished independence. It doesn't take long for things to go awry between the two. He is annoyed by the boy, who prefers to watch TV, order pizza, and whine about wanting to go to the Rocky Mountains. In a moment of leniency, Simon gives in: a day trip it is. At a fast-food restaurant, they encounter two enthusiastic mountain hikers: a father and son. They take the boy along for a day hike while Simon stays behind and waits. The three return from the hike with great stories. And not only that: they have developed a taste for it and want to spend the upcoming weekend in the mountains. Dinner ends in an argument and a humiliating experience for Simon. The next morning, the Rocky trio has vanished without a trace; they checked out without leaving a message. As in her plays, Lot Vekemans also offers insight into the dark corners of the human soul in her second novel, searching for the hidden motives behind our daily actions.