Night Train to Lisbon is a captivating novel that delves into the depths of our shared humanity, offering a breathtaking insight into life, love, and literature itself. This compelling exploration of consciousness examines the possibility of truly understanding another person and the ability of language to define our very selves.

Raimund Gregorius, a Latin teacher at a Swiss college, encounters a mysterious Portuguese woman and decides to abandon his old life to start anew. He takes the night train to Lisbon, carrying with him a book by Amadeu de Prado, a fictional Portuguese doctor and essayist whose writings explore loneliness, mortality, friendship, love, and loyalty.

Gregorius becomes obsessed with what he reads and restlessly struggles to comprehend the life of the author. His investigations lead him all over the city of Lisbon, as he speaks to those entangled in Prado’s life. Gradually, the picture of an extraordinary man emerges—a doctor and poet who rebelled against Salazar’s dictatorship.