2010: Three old friends get together in a mansion in New Zealand. Despite the differences in their personalities, Justin, Bradley and Joshua have remained close thanks to their shared interests. Friendship is at the heart of this story.

But earlier that year, Bradley murdered his ex, Cassandra, during an argument about their son. He has managed to keep it secret for several months: through various ploys, he creates the impression that she’s gone missing but is still alive. Yet the missing-person bulletin looms over the mansion like a curse, an ultimatum that destabilizes everything and feeds a sense of emergency. The tension eventually gets the better of the ties that bind the three men. Each of them begins to sink into their own personal neuroses.

As in La Fuite (The Flight), the author’s first novel, a direct connection with nature shines through every line. Nature inflects the intertwined fates of these disenchanted characters, letting them live or destroying them.

New Zealand: In a mansion undergoing renovation, three old friends get together for the summer. One of them has murdered his wife, but manages to convince the others that she’s still alive. But as the tale unfolds, doubts and suspicion get the upper hand.