by Peter Hoeg
First published 1999
A young mathematician settles into his seat as the train pulls away from the station, bound for the heart of the Congo during wartime. Across from him sits Joseph Conrad, and their conversation will reshape everything he believes about mathematics and meaning. In Lisbon, two lovers who cannot be together find solace in recreating the Danish ballet steps that once brought them joy. A coastal town faces the creeping terror of smallpox as parents watch their children for the first signs of fever. In Denmark, a young writer stands trial for his homosexuality before the conservative Lord Chief Justice Ignatio Lanstad Rasker, his idealism colliding with a system determined to crush him. Peter Høeg weaves eight stories across eight corners of the world, each unfolding on a single night when ordinary people confront the forces that will define their lives. These tales capture the moment when hope meets reality, when love confronts law, and when survival demands choices no one should have to make.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Congo, Lisbon, Denmark
Period: Wartime
Paperback · The Harvill Press