Ørjan Aasen`s life is turned upside down when he loses his brother in a car accident. Overwhelmed by guilt, he decides to leave his past behind and start a new life in Tromsø. But his feelings of guilt follow him to the city of lights and will not allow him to find peace. One night, Ørjan meets an elderly woman, named Ella who lives in a mansion and mostly keeps herself to herself. When she finds out that Ørjan is studying literature, she asks him to help her write her biography. To take his mind off of his dark, depressing thoughts, Ørjan agrees. Before long he becomes engrossed in Ella`s past life, a life of secrets and heartache. He realises that her childhood memories still haunt Ella, following her like a ghostly shadow. Her family was rich, well-respected and above all, ruthless. Out of curiosity Ørjan decides to do his own research and stumbles upon a story that renders him sleepless. What is the truth behind Ella`s missing sibling? And what role did the city`s orphanage play? Questions that Ørjan must get to the bottom of sooner rather than later because Ella`s health is failing.

Reto Koller was born in 1980 in Solothurn. His first short novel, named Winter`s Darkness, was published in January, 2019. His stories take place in the northern part of Norway, which he visits several times a year to take in the mysteriously beautiful scenery and the lights of winter.