Crime-scene-style activity in Tihany and mysterious envelopes at Cecília Rogán’s holiday home — David Dorosz’s debut novel, We All Leave, arrives at the end of March.
We All Leave is a thriller about contemporary Hungary. It is not only about a possible crime, but also about the truths we live with every day — and prefer not to talk about. Although this is not only true of politics, for the book’s teaser campaign the author chose, alongside bookshops in Budapest, locations linked to property developments associated with the current government.
“This novel contains countless meetings, handshakes and conversations from the past 15 years. The stories of communities, teams and people. Because this is where crime fiction begins: with the small everyday betrayals we each consider too insignificant to matter. This novel explores questions that many of us discuss behind closed doors, but few say out loud. In today’s Hungary, a single sentence can often determine what happens to your family, your work and your life. Power does not like honest sentences — but this novel is full of them,” says Dávid Dorosz about the background to We All Leave.
Lake Balaton has been an important place for the author since childhood. Like many others, he has watched with sadness as some of his favourite places along the shore have disappeared one after another as a result of the current government’s developments. “Tihany is not only a beautiful place; it also reveals the duality of the country: beneath the glittering surface, there is decay and increasingly severe tension,” he says.
A large part of the novel’s plot is also set here: the location is a luxury villa in Tihany, owned by Ádám, a major businessman who evokes strong feelings — positive or negative — in every member of the six-person group of friends.
This is precisely why Lake Balaton was chosen as the main location for the teaser campaign for We All Leave. The team visited the old town area of Tihany and Balatonfüred, the location of the Fidesz parliamentary group meeting. They left the first page of the novel in envelopes, including in the letterbox of Cecília Rogán’s holiday home and near the villa of Lőrinc Mészáros Jr.
Crime-scene-style stencils also appeared, and those walking along the villa-lined streets of Tihany in the coming days may still be able to read the book’s motto sprayed onto the asphalt:
“What is happening in this country is the real crime story.”
We All Leave will be published by Cser Kiadó on 20 March. The book launch will take place on 25 March at Három Holló, where Anna Ott will be in conversation with the author, and Vivien Rujder will read excerpts from the novel.