First published 2002
Landau, a mediocre American playwright, travels to Prague for a literary conference. The organized trip includes a visit to a former concentration camp, where the group outing turns into a clash of egos and public embarrassment. Landau watches fellow Americans struggle with how to respond appropriately to historical tragedy. In Paris, Nina works on a travel article for her lover's journal. Her assignment becomes an intense journey that reveals how her sexual relationships have shaped her understanding of the world. Both Americans find their European trips transform their perspectives on history, politics, and intimacy. Prose examines the challenge of summoning proper emotions when confronted with monumental historical suffering or intimate personal pain. These characters discover that travel strips away their assumptions about themselves and forces uncomfortable reckonings with their own limitations and desires.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, travel, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-transformation, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Prague, Paris
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
256 pages · Paperback · Harper Perennial