About the book

All hell breaks loose when a care facility in Belgium is hit by covid-19 following a visit from Saint Nicholas. The person who acted as the Saint, a caregiver for his elderly mother, is labelled a super spreader and briefly becomes global headline news.

Hundreds of nursing homes suffered outbreaks, thousands of senior citizens died. But this true story of the role of a caregiver raises probing questions about what was really going on.

Thirty years after his sensational debut, Chris de Stoop writes his most personal book to date. It is a universal story that arouses discomfort while being highly recognisable. A moving, humane, unsettling chronicle told from the inside out.

‘You never get closer to your mother than when providing informal care, and in my case, that carried on for eight years. I spent more than a thousand days there, experiencing some beautiful, intimate and difficult moments. It’s taxing, but incredibly satisfying.’ – Chris de Stoop in de Volkskrant, referring to his book Kingdom of Heaven