With the small inheritance he received upon his father's death, Miles has come to Europe on the trail of the Romanian surrealist, who disappeared into a forest in 1967. But in trying to unravel the mystery of Bafdescu's secret life, Miles must also reckon with his own. Faced with a language and a landscape that remain stubbornly out of reach, and condemned to wait for someone who may never arrive, Mile is haunted by thoughts of his ex-girlfriend, Alice, and the trip they took to Venice that ended their relationship. Uncanny, occasionally absurd, and utterly original, this novel is a beautifully written meditation on art and grief.

Winner 2014 Victorian Premier's Unpublished Manuscript Award.