Brett holds up his glass to Yasmine for a toast.
“Nobody cares where the symbol came from anymore, Yasmine. In fact, our instructions are not to talk about it at all. It’s from Baltimore now. People are already spraying it all over. Starfist. The record companies are crazy about him. This will end up being the biggest deal since the music industry died.”
Brett laughs and takes a sip of whiskey.
“I don’t understand anything,” Yasmine says. “When did this happen? And what do Shrewd & Daughter get out of it?”
“Like I said, they’ve been working with him since early this spring, but everything moved quickly at the end,” Brett says. “I emailed you right? The riots in Baltimore and other cities have been rolling back and forth for a while. But after our pitch Geneviève decided they finally had something to work with, so they named him Starfist, and she’s officially his agent. She’s promised to make him a star if he lets her run his PR. And she’ll take twenty-five percent of his income, of course. Not bad money if you consider this will end up being a three-record deal worth ten million. And that’s just the advance.”
He stops and reaches into the bag.
“Which reminds me,” he says. “This is your share. After I took my own twenty-five percent, of course. This time I really think I’ve earned it. It’s a lump sum, just so you know. A finder’s fee. But I think you’ll be pleased.”
He finds what he’s looking for in the bag and hands her a check. Then he swallows the last of his drink.
“Okay, kids,” he says. “Time for me to leave. Stay here a few nights. Geneviève is beyond pleased, so she’ll be happy to pay. We can talk later this week? I have some other stuff in the works for you.”
He bends down and kisses Yasmine on the cheek, shakes Fadi’s hand, then heads off between the tables and the bar until they can’t see him anymore. Now they’re alone again, just Yasmine and Fadi, and the indescribable sight of Manhattan. No plans. Nothing to return to. Just two new lives. Just two new lives and a check for $150,000, which flutters gently in the very first autumn wind.
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Acknowledgements
About Joakim Zander
Also by Joakim Zander
From the editor of this book
An invitation from the Publisher
Acknowledgements
Thanks to:
My publisher Helene Atterling, editor Jacob Swedberg, agents Astri von Arbin Ahlander and Christine Edhäll for all the discussions, read-throughs, and invaluable input;
My wonderful translator Liz Clarke Wessel, for a stunning translation;
My American editor, Jennifer Barth, for thoughtful comments and all the support;
Professor Leif Stenberg at the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies in Lund for the interesting conversations about radicalization and ISIS, and for all the help with terminology and Arabic;
The eighth-graders at Värner Rydénskolan in Rosengård, for allowing me to spend time with you in the spring of 2015;
To everyone at Södra Esplanaden in Lund;
To Tobias Almborg for friendship and for reading the first few chapters before I knew where I was;
Johan Jarnvik for friendship and laughter; Daniel Zander because you are my brother; Liisa, Milla, and Lukas. Without you, nothing.
About Joakim Zander
JOAKIM ZANDER was born in Stockholm, has lived in Syria and Israel, and graduated from high school in the United States. He earned a PhD in law from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and has worked as a lawyer for the European Union in Brussels and Helsinki. Rights to his debut novel The Swimmer, as well as for The Brother, were sold in thirty-one countries. Zander lives in southern Sweden with his wife and two children.
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First published as Orten in Sweden in 2015 by Wahlström & Widstrand.
This edition first published in the UK as an eBook in 2016 by Head of Zeus Ltd
Copyright © Joakim Zander, 2015
Translation copyright © Elizabeth Clark Wessel, 2016
The moral right of Joakim Zander to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
The moral right of Elizabeth Clark Wessel to be identified as the translator of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (E) 9781781859209
ISBN (HB) 9781781859216
ISBN (XTPB) 9781781859223
Jacket Design: kid-ethic
Jacket image © Nicola Smith / Trevillion Images
Author Photo: Viktor Fremling
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