Set in a German spa town wracked by climate change, this intense, enthralling debut explores trust, abuse, and solidarity through the unexpected bond between two women. When Iris took over the family hotel from her grandfather, Bad Heim was still a popular spa town. But now fierce forest fires rage in the area, spewing smoke into the air. The summers are dry and hot and never seem to end. Guests have become a rare sight. But suddenly, a young mother shows up with her small daughter and asks for a room. Something doesn't seem right about her. Does she need help? Or even pose a threat?
Doesn’t present a solution so much as a suggestion around the edges. Confronting the youth of the activists and the solid truths of their elders, Dori and Iris are able to find possibilities lurking.
A tense, atmospheric thriller whose primary threat derives from the literal atmosphere ... Lucid, intimate ... There is even one unexpected final twist that tugs at the heartstrings and shows how thought-out this multifaceted debut truly is.
