A man becomes obsessed with observing his neighbours. A large family gathers for Christmas only to wait for the one member who never turns up. An old woman lures a man into her house where he finds a doll that resembles himself. A spellbinding short story collection about the loss of identity in the modern world. Alois Hotschnig is one of Austria's most critically acclaimed authors, eliciting comparisons with Thomas Bernhard and Franz Kafka. "Hotschnig's stories have the wierd, creepy and ambiguous quality of disturbing dreams. ... It is, though, very refreshing to be confronted by stories which so firmly refuse to yield to conventional interpretation, or even comprehension." Nick Lezard, The Guardian
