Sparse, suspenseful. A good quick read without a happy ending ( I wasn't expecting one). Roman steps out of the house for 15 minutes, leaving his 6 year old son Simon alone in the house in bed. When he comes back, Simon is gone. His wife, known only as M, is out of town. When Simon fails to be found, M and Roman become estranged. Roman continues to decline. Simon is never found. The perfect night to go to China is an expression that a taxi driver's mother used to say.