Sebastian and Oskar have been friends since their days studying physics at university, when both were considered future Nobel Prize candidates. But after their graduation, their lives took very different paths; while Oskar holds a prestigious research post in Geneva, Sebastian worries that he hasn't lived up to his intellectual promise, having chosen marriage and fatherhood as an exit strategy.

A few days after a particularly heated argument between the two men, Sebastian leaves his son sleeping in the back seat while he goes into a service station. When he returns, the car has disappeared without trace. His phone rings and a voice informs him that in order to get his son back he must kill a man. As Sebastian's life unravels, the only person he can safely reach out to is Oskar...

A startling philosophical thriller from an immensely gifted young star of European fiction.

About the Author
Juli Zeh was born in 1974 and lives in Brandenburg. She studied International Law, worked with the UN in New York, and completed her studies in Creative Writing. Juli Zeh has won numerous awards, including the international Per Olov Enquist Award and the French Prix Cevennes for Best European Novel. Her work has been translated into thirty languages.

Reviews
A compelling novel, thrilling yet profound...This book makes for a wonderful read, gripping until the last page. A masterpiece! * Financial Times Deutschland *
A thrilling read as well as a terrific mental workout -- Laura Wilson * Guardian *
An intelligent an beautifully crafted existential thriller ... Zeh's lyricism and intellect lend the book a depth often lacking in mainstream thrillers * Big Issue *
A clever and truly entertaining read * The Independent *
Zeh constructs an impressive matrix of information for each of her key players and provides descriptions that are vivid and original ... Her often unexpected imagery is precise and pithy ... this philosophical thriller is well paced; one turns the pages impatient for the denouement * Times Literary Supplement *



Book Information
ISBN 9780099524168
Author Juli Zeh
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Vintage
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 235g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 21mm