First U.S. publication. In spare, elegant prose, this modern novella recounts a troubled young villager's flight to the comfortable anonymity of a city - a respite that's shattered by the appearance of his boyhood love, along with husband and child. "Many of Kristof's stark vignettes, reported in unflinching detail . . . have a cool, disturbing power - part documentary-like, part surreal - that is fierce and distinctive." - Kirkus Reviews.