The Disappearance of Sieger Somerman
In this riveting novel, truth turns out to be a slippery notion
Ema Somerman is a tech genius. She’s the CEO of a company she started with two friends. Based in Norway, Profil develops software that can be used to identify deepfakes. In a world full of digital manipulation, she has made a career for herself by drawing the line between truth and fiction.
Ema’s childhood was marred by the sudden disappearance of her father Sieger, who worked as a journalist for a national newspaper. When new information turns up about his disappearance, Ema’s professional world transforms into a hall of mirrors. What seems real proves to be deceptive. As she finds out more, she begins to feel increasingly ambivalent about Profil and the truth turns out to be a slippery notion.
Is there even such a thing as objective reality when everyone can create their own version of what is real? And if the truth is protected, who will guard the guards themselves? The Disappearance of Sieger Somerman is a rollercoaster of a novel exploring the power of perception, trauma and our crumbling relationship with the truth.
Jori Stam alternates with great ease between past, present and future. His energetic prose brings the protagonists, and a wide array of settings, vividly to life.
Jori Stam (b. 1987) grew up in the countryside and studied Dutch Literature at the University of Amsterdam. His stories have been published in various literary magazines. In 2014 he was nominated for the Opium Short Story Prize and the VPRO Bagagedrager prize. His first book, the short-story collection A Totally Useless Person (Een volstrekt nutteloos mens), was published in 2015 and got an honourable mention at the 2016 J.M.A. Biesheuvel Prize award ceremony. His debut novel, Oregon, was published by Atlas Contact in 2019. The Disappearance of Sieger Somerman is his second novel.