Wittold Walccyzkiecz is a vigorous, extravagantly white-haired pianist and interpreter of Chopin who becomes infatuated with Beatriz, a stylish patron of the arts, after she helps organize his concert in Barcelona. Although Beatriz, a married woman, is initially unimpressed by Wittold, she soon finds herself pursued and ineluctably swept into his world. As the journeyman performer sends her countless letters, extends invitations to travel, and even visits her husband’s summer home in Mallorca, their unlikely relationship blossoms, though only on Beatriz’s terms. The power struggle between them intensifies, eventually escalating into a full-fledged battle of the sexes. But is it Beatriz who limits their passion by paralyzing her emotions? Or is it Wittold trying to force into life his dream of love?

In Estrella, David has grown to be a tall 10-year-old who is a natural at soccer and loves kicking a ball around with his friends. His father, Simón, and Bolívar the dog usually watch, while his mother, Inés, now works in a fashion boutique. David still asks many questions, challenging his parents and any authority figure in his life. In dancing class at the Academy of Music, he dances as he chooses. He refuses to do sums and will not read any books except DON QUIXOTE. One day, Julio Fabricante, the director of a nearby orphanage, invites David and his friends to form a proper soccer team. David decides he will leave Simón and Inés to live with Julio, but before long he succumbs to a mysterious illness.

Davíd is the small boy who is always asking questions. Simón and Inés take care of him in their new town, Estrella. He is learning the language, has begun to make friends, and has the big dog Bolívar to watch over him. But he will be seven soon and should be at school. And so, with the guidance of the three sisters who own the farm where Simón and Inés work, Davíd is enrolled in the Academy of Dance. It’s here, in his new golden dancing slippers, that he learns how to call down the numbers from the sky. But it’s here, too, that he will make troubling discoveries about what grown-ups are capable of.

J. M. Coetzee’s allegorical new novel tells the story of David, a boy of around five who sails to the Spanish-speaking town of Novilla in search of his mother. A man named Simón, also aboard the ship, looks after the boy and helps him in his quest. The result is a novel that is part philosophy, part adventure, and a thoughtful questioning of the meaning and wisdom of the gospels.