In Tallinn, a man named Toomas begins a new gig working as a paid companion for a company that has very strict rules. He’s not a sex worker; his job is to accompany women who are lonely, unsure, or maybe need a date for a company function. There are women contractors who are making a lot of money at this company, but Toomas has just three or four clients. He also has a girlfriend, named Annika. Toomas used to work in marketing but now is freelancing, while Annika has a corporate gig that keeps her busy. She knows what he’s doing, and she has plans for herself—she’s outgrowing Estonia and wants to move to Berlin. The move could mean big changes for Toomas, since he could work in marketing in Germany, but he has his reasons for staying. His clients include Karin, whom he really wants to kiss, but it’s against policy; Eliise is intriguing, and he obviously likes her; and then there’s Helene, an elderly woman who’s seeking human connection. Toomas can’t help but feel like his worth is being determined by a website and its algorithm, with its constant demand for feedback. He must determine the trajectory of his life while confronting the facts that Tallinn isn’t all that big and that Annika may be leaving. Morel’s concise novel is well paced; the language is spare, but the ideas she explores are complex. The author places Toomas in a compelling context—he’s become stalled in life, but he’s rich in the number of interesting people surrounding him. Morel plainly and perceptively discusses the ways in which technology affects contemporary relationships, going beyond a simple account of juggling multiple people. Vivid details about the setting add color (“wasn’t that why Estonians had so many sayings about saunas?”), with characters feeling tied to the place while also being pulled away by various forces.