Erich Hackl has, as he did with his striking narrative "Auroras Anlass," investigated an unheard-of case that had been kept silent for decades. In concise, precise language, Hackl tells the moving fate of Sidonie, her brief happiness with her foster parents, and their desperate efforts to protect the child from the fate that awaited her. "Farewell to Sidonie" is not only a chronicle of violence, the inertia of the heart, and the bestiality of decency, but also a love letter to those who have placed compassion and self-respect above a misunderstood sense of duty in both great and small times. At the same time, the book provides a deep insight into the condition of a country and its inhabitants, showing what was possible, what actually happened, and what remains of it.