Gentle indifference of the world

Kristof is a writer. At one time, he published a book that was quite favorably received by readers and critics. But time passes, and there is no impetus for further creativity. Life came to a dead end. Until he meets his double, 16 years younger. Who grew up in the same village, studies at his former university, rents his old apartment, frequents the same pubs, even has his last name. What's more: he meets the girl with whom Christoph broke up while writing the book. The alter ego calls himself Chris. The former lover is still young and beautiful, but Magdalena has turned into Lena.

The action of the novel lasts half a day, during which Christoph seems to relive the happiest moments of his life. So the plot spans several decades, and along with it – various variants of the fates of the main characters and their love.

Is life given once? Is this world real? Aren't we the heroes of stories that someone writes for us, for us? Peter Stamm invites the reader to find the answers to these questions himself.