The plot of the novel, without missing anything particularly important, can be retold in a few sentences. A famous pianist named Ryder arrives in a small European town to give a concert there. Ryder has never been in this town and knows no one. However, gradually it becomes clear that virtually all the residents of the town, one way or another, have special relationships with Ryder. What’s more, the fates of all the town’s inhabitants are tied up so closely with Ryder that only he can console those who suffer by giving them faith in a bright future. Why, what for, how it happened, what to do, and who is to blame—all of this is what the novel is about. In any case, it doesn’t answer any of these questions. That must be why it is called “The Unmourned.”