But maybe he can smile, thinks Matti.
Even for one second—then this whole trip will make sense.

A poignant story about a boy who has to make decisions for adults—for his mother, who is busy with her own affairs, and his father, who is consumed by a protracted depression.

“I had to,” says Matti. “Someone had to do something.” And so, on the long polar night, he sets out on a dangerous journey. But his already unrealistic plans are thrown into disarray by an unexpected encounter with a girl named Fricka, who has run away from her parents.

This emotionally charged, plot-rich, and at times surreal story about a family where everyone gets in everyone else's way, yet still loves each other, won the main Dutch literary prize, the Silver Stylus, in 2014.

The book was published with the support of the Flemish Literary Foundation.

Author: Arts Jef