Hazel's life takes an unusual turn when she develops an intense connection with A Winter Promise, a novel featuring the enigmatic Professor Hugo van der Meer. What starts as an escape from loneliness soon becomes something deeper-Hazel begins to feel as though Hugo can sense her presence beyond the pages. Strange occurrences in the book make her question reality: pauses in his dialogue, lingering gazes, even moments where he seems to acknowledge her. The more she reads, the more she feels a bond growing between them. But when she stops reading for months, Hugo disappears from the book entirely. Upon her return, she finds the pages hollow-his presence is missing, as if punishing her for leaving. Now, as she embarks on a new chapter in life, traveling to Alkmaar for a medical posting, she faces another shock. The dean of her new workplace is a man named Professor Hugo van der Meer. He is nothing like her Hugo, yet the resemblance and name are undeniable. Torn between reality and fiction, longing and regret, Hazel grapples with the question-was Hugo ever real? And if so... where has he gone?
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