Otto Shin

Otto Shin (né Montague) is the narrator of the novel. During the majority of the novel, he is 38 years old, although the novel opens with a breakup which happens when he is 34. Otto’s internal narration uses a casual, storytelling style, which often uses the pronoun ‘you’ to refer to the reader. He is deeply in love with his partner, Xavier; the novel takes place on a train where the two of them are spending their “non-honeymoon honeymoon” (5). Otto also feels insecure about his treatment of Honza Svoboda, his ex-partner before Xavier, and worries about appearing jealous or demanding too much from Xavier.

Otto is connected to the novel’s main intrigue surrounding Přemsyl Stojaspal through an encounter with a burning flat. He thought he saw Přemsyl inside the flat and ran in to save him, only to find that Přemsyl did not exist...