The Vercors enters the story as a place of apparent refuge turned into a means of control: agents take Viktor Kowalski and his family to a private hotel high in the mountains, separating them from the possibility of speaking freely or contacting Rome while they seek to question him.

Setting and Introduction

The destination is described as a private hotel high in the Vercors. Its elevation and privacy distinguish it from the family’s home, but the text gives no further description of the hotel or its surroundings. The setting matters through what the agents intend to do there, not through a developed portrait of the landscape.

Removal to the Hotel

Before the journey, JoJo tells the armed Corsican to leave the family alone. The Corsican refuses: he says that JoJo and the woman must come with them because they cannot be allowed to talk or ring Rome. When Viktor asks how long they will be kept, the answer is that it will be for as long as necessary. The agents soften the threat by describing the destination as a pleasant mountain holiday with sun and fresh air, but the exchange makes clear that the family has no choice.

An hour later, the family is in the back seat of a large Citroen, with the two agents in front, speeding toward the private hotel. The journey turns the Vercors into the endpoint of a forced transfer. The contrast between the agents’ holiday language and the family’s confinement gives the hotel its narrative significance: it is a remote place where access to Viktor can be controlled while he is questioned.