The Golden Egg

Infobox Book
name = The Golden Egg
title_orig = Het Gouden Ei
translator = Claire Nicolas White (first English edition)


image_caption =
author = Tim Krabbé
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = Netherlands
language = Dutch
genre = Psychological, Thriller novel
publisher = Uitgeverij Bert Bakker (first edition)
Random House (first English edition)
release_date = 1984
english_release_date = 1993
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages =
isbn = ISBN 0-679-41973-X (first English edition)
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Golden Egg" ("Het Gouden Ei"), published as "The Vanishing" in English-speaking countries, is a psychological thriller written by Dutch author Tim Krabbé, first published in 1984.

ynopsis

Two lovers, Rex Hofman and Saskia Ehlvest, have traveled to France for a bicycling vacation. One night they have a minor argument but quickly make up, and Rex pulls over at a convenience store to refuel. He and Saskia bury coins to mark the spot, then she goes into the station to buy drinks and Rex never sees her again.

Eight years later he is still haunted by her disappearance. He is now in a relationship with another woman named Lieneke, who is both sympathetic to, and frustated by, the hold that Saskia's disappearance has over him. Despite her misgivings they become engaged.

It is at this point that the reader is introduced to Raymond Lemorne, the man responsible for whatever happened to Saskia. The novella reveals that Lemorne once saved a young girl from drowning; having proven to himself that he is capable of great goodness, Raymond then begins to wonder if he is capable of an act of pure evil. He then comes up with an idea to murder someone in the most horrible fashion he can imagine. The book follows his meticulous preparations, and his long months of trying to find a suitable victim. This section of the novella ends with him abducting Saskia, but we are still not told what happens to her (though the book does provide clues).

At this point the narrative switches back to Rex. His obsession with discovering what happened to Saskia has grown to such an extreme that he has taken out a large bank loan to post advertisements in papers throughout France, hoping that someone might be able to provide him with information. His quest has also driven a wedge into his relationship with Lieneke. One night he is approached by Lemorne, who reveals that he is the one who abducted Saskia, and offers to satisfy Rex's determination to discover her ultimate fate, but only if Rex agrees to undergo the same ordeal that Saskia suffered.

After a long discussion between the two men, Rex agrees to Lemorne's proposal, and proceeds to drink a cup of coffee laced with a sedative. He awakes sometime later to find himself buried alive.

Film adaptations

The novella was adapted by George Sluizer (from a script by Krabbé) into the award-winning 1988 film "Spoorloos" (international title:"The Vanishing"). An English-language remake was released in 1993, again directed by Sluizer.

Publishing history

In 1993, an English translation by Claire Nicolas White was released under the title "The Vanishing" (Random House, ISBN 0-679-41973-X). A new English translation of the novel, by Sam Garrett, was published in October 2003 (Bloomsbury, ISBN 0-747-56533-3 ).