Hans Peter Braendlin

Dementia: a Novella Hans Peter Braendlin 1. izdevums

A nurse in Carl's nursing home has been found dead. Carl, institutionalized for his mental disorder, thinks he may have killed her. Didn't she threaten to disclose his love affair with Gloria, which could deprive him of the person who was giving meaning to his life again? When Gloria becomes a potential suspect in the killing and is locked up, Carl is driven to rescue her. But he must first achieve clarity of mind. In this he succeeds, by recognizing his kinship with fellow inmates, and by confronting his past. His mental journey back in time and to the people he loved and lost leads to his rediscovery that dementia and the deadly violence it may cause are very much part also of the supposedly sane world. Ready to assume responsibility for the nurse's murder, Carl confesses the deed to Jonathan, another nurse, who has become a close friend. The ending raises questions: Will justice have been served and if so, how? What happens to Carl and Gloria?