Sometimes just getting the wrong train can change your life. That’s what happened to Igor, anyway. On his way to spend a weekend in the country with friends, he winds up working in the Hôtel Receptor, a luxurious establishment. A seaside paradise where the kids-club attendants play Hansel and Gretel with the children in their care, the musicians escape from the pit during intermission, and the director’s cat eats breaded omelets while listening to the Divine Comedy.

Thanks to his sang-froid, Igor rises through the ranks… but will he ever be able to go home?

Raia Del Vecchio relates daily life in a strange hotel with implacable logic. Her first fantasy-fiction novel has the unpredictable and universal feel of a long, dreamlike journey.