The Novel That Has Everyone Arguing About What Fiction Is For

There are novels that are admired and novels that are loved, and occasionally there are novels that are argued about — fiercely, publicly, and with a passion that suggests readers understand something important is at stake. This debut falls emphatically in the third category.

The book concerns a family in a mid-sized European city navigating the aftermath of a political catastrophe the author never names but leaves thoroughly recognisable.

“I am not interested in resolution,” the author said. “I am interested in the moment before resolution, when everything is still possible and the consequences of every choice are still unknown.”