THE CLOSING DAYS

In Kovach’s novel, a lost college student tries to find himself in Vienna but instead discovers the lasting effects of the city’s darker history.

After cheating on a history paper and receiving an abrupt breakup letter from his girlfriend, Alex Vogel finds himself alone with no clear direction. Despite his father’s protests, Alex uses his meager savings to board a plane to Vienna—a city his grandfather, who was stationed there after WWII, often spoke about, mentioning some vague connections to their family. Once in Vienna, he begins to practice his German and seek under-the-table employment, aimlessly wandering and striking up a conversation with anyone who’ll listen. Among his first encounters is the confident student Johanna, who quickly invites Alex into her world. Smitten, Alex accepts every invitation and opportunity to grow closer to her, including meeting her impressive, mysterious grandfather Heinrich. Alex begins working with Heinrich by organizing the old man’s notes and writings but is soon offered a more unusual task. Heinrich asks Alex to follow an old associate and record his movements, telling him only that the man “may be planning something unpleasant at a location in Vienna.” Weary of danger but too curious to say no, Alex finds himself exploring the dark remnants of Nazism and warfare hiding in plain sight throughout the city. With the story’s surprising turn to light mystery and suspense, Kovach flips expectations of the standard American abroad narrative and strives for something much deeper. There are plenty of funny cultural observations and moments of biting humor (Alex’s flirty repartees with Johanna or his mundane phone calls about the VCR with his parents stand out in particular). But Kovach is more concerned with more cerebral questions of history, place, and lasting trauma. His spare prose suits a dreary, stone-gray Vienna, where hostility may lurk under every chance encounter. It’s the perfect setting for big questions, but a morose and rushed ending makes the gloom feel overwhelming.

A melancholy coming-of-age tale that grapples with profound themes.