Alain Claude Sulzer’s novel about a man whose rebellion against changing times throws him off balance
After being hidden behind paper for two days, the Quatre Saisons’ seven huge display windows are ceremoniously unveiled – showcasing the long-established store’s merchandise in a new light. These are the moments that the window dresser Stettler lives and works for – and has been for several decades. Now, just into his 60s, he is unexpectedly assigned a younger colleague to work by his side – a rival, his intended successor, an enemy!
Stettler’s world begins to crumble. The year is 1968, and everything else is also crumbling. Young people wear jeans and no longer have any manners, and a Vietcong flag suddenly hangs from the church tower in Munster. Stettler is horrified. Feeling increasingly threatened, he even starts spying on his rival, out for revenge. For Stettler, it’s also an uphill battle against time and age, which he is bound to lose. Only an exchange of letters with Lotte Zerbst, a radio-pianist he admires, makes him feel less lost. And he hopes that it might even lead to a meeting between them someday…
