This slim novel opens in a mountain chalet where Kehlmann’s narrator, his wife, and daughter are spending some time while he works to complete a screenplay for a long-anticipated sequel to a successful TV series. But rather than inspiring, the setting becomes increasingly disorienting, as the narrator realizes that his marriage, his work, and his vacation house are not what they seem. Kehlmann’s writing is spare, but anxious, as the reader figures out with the narrator what can be done to reverse this terrifying spiral.