(Gaia)

A young man flees his past and takes refuge in an errant lifestyle. Though various fortuitous encounters, he finds himself on the edge of the Arctic Circle in Norway, on the wild shores of Lake Baikal and in the intoxicating modernity of Singapore. Discreet but with a radiant personality, he is known by everyone as Cosme K. Strangers warm to him and he becomes part of their daily lives until his wandering spirit asserts itself and he takes once again to the road. As he explores the outer edges of the known world, his brother Ayden sets out to follow in his footsteps. Along the way he meets the men and women whom Cosme K. has encountered and whose lives he has transformed, enabling him to reconstruct his brother’s itinerary in the hope that one day the two of them can achieve a reconciliation.

Shot through with guilt but also forgiveness, this is a coming-of-age novel that plays itself out against a backdrop of majestic landscapes.

Philippe Gerin was born in Saint-Étienne in 1970. He has travelled and lived in many lands, including Canada, Siberia, the edge of the Baltic, Scandinavia and Malaysia.