In hypnotic prose, Marius Goldhorn leads two reeling men through a shattered continent, torn between its past, its crimes, and the longing for a new beginning. The Trials is a stirring story about love, guilt, and innocence – and a novel of enigmatic clarity.
Brussels, late summer 2030. The city is in upheaval. People are gathering everywhere – across the city’s outskirts, in its market squares and museums, and along its boulevards – protesting and celebrating. Unexpected communities are emerging, old orders are crumbling.
The narrator and his partner, Ezra, are vacationing in Ostend. When they return to Brussels, they’re swept up in events that soon put their relationship to the test.
When Ezra, who runs a political blog, becomes the victim of an attack, the couple leaves Brussels and heads to northern Italy, seeking refuge on the remote farm of a mysterious gardener. But their retreat turns into a surreal journey through hell – a fateful journey through the world of the dead and the realm of ghosts.
