The sudden silence speaks louder than a drumbeat. In the midst of a breathtaking interpretation of the “Hammerklavier” Sonata the internationally celebrated star pianist Marek Olsberg abruptly stops playing, closes the piano lid, says »That’s that«, and leaves the room.
Olsberg’s life isn’t the only one that will be steered off course by his unexpected deed. He is one of many protagonists in Alain Claude Sulzer’s new novel. For example, there’s also Olsberg’s agent, who locks horns with his boyfriend on the way to the philharmonic hall. There’s Sophie with the drinking problem, who learns that her latest love which was snatched from her by her sister years ago has since hit it off with her niece Klara. There’s Esther, who brings her newly divorced friend to the Olsberg concert to cheer her up, but who can’t help but notice that her husband isn’t home when she unexpectedly returns home early. His mobile phone is there, however, and with disconcerting messages from his assistant Sabine …
Alain Claude Sulzer succeeds in creating a moving novel in which a wealth of human destinies unfolds in a very confined space. A book full of unexpected twists and existential depth and a magnificent polyphonic novel about bizarre twists of fate, coincidence and the unexpected necessity to make a change.
