A small masterpiece of compression and containment, Peace Talks tells the story of one man’s grief, the tribulations of the human heart, and our longing for peace.

Edvard Behrens is a highly regarded senior diplomat who has made his reputation as a mediator in international peace negotiations. In his latest post, he has been sent to a resort hotel in the Tyrol. High up on this mountain, the air is bright and clear. When he isn’t working, Edvard reads, walks, listens to music. He confides in no one—no one but his wife Anna. Anna, whom he loves with all his heart; Anna, always present and yet forever absent.

Reminiscent of Robert Seethaler’s work in its formal elegance and emotional heft, of Rachel Cusk’s novels in the precision and tenacity of its prose, and of David Szalay’s writing in its abiding preoccupations, Finch’s new novel is a work of great depth, honesty, wit, beauty, and enduring importance.

“A moving and direct study of frailty, love and time, and luck and grief, of what is left when all the noise—of machination, violence and competing stories—is stripped away.”—Aida Edemariam, The Guardian

Tim Finch
Tim Finch is a leading campaigner and writer on refugee and migrant issues. He formerly worked as a director for the Refugee Council, and has founded two charities, among them Sponsor Refugees. As well as working as a senior political journalist at the BBC, he has broadcast frequently on Channel 4, Al Jazeera and CNN. He is the author of two novels, The House of Journalists (FSG, 2013), and Peace Talks (Europa, 2020).

• Jul 14 2020
  “A lucid work carefully balanced between the terrors and consolations that fiction can provide.”
  — Kirkus Review