An ensemble novel that dismantles the fragile surface of modern prosperity with merciless wit
The story opens with a spectacular bang: a high-end Tesla bursts into flames on a remote rural highway. Inside is Roger Ross, a high-flying corporate executive who was fired on the first day of his vacation. Leaving his burning car and past life behind, Ross flees to a neighboring five-star luxury wellness resort called ‘Eden’. But the hotel is no refuge, rather a lavish final stop for the illusions of our time. For at ‘Eden’, this crumbling fortress of German prosperity, all the guests seem to cling to a life that is long gone: from a famous television comedian hiding from an internet shitstorm to an elderly tobacco manager whose wife left him to glue herself to asphalt for climate protection and a murderous assistant planning to save the hotel. As their hyper-privileged illusions burn away, Simon Urban delivers an unforgettable reckoning with modern society.
