Die Einsamen

by Paul Heyse

"Die Einsamen" by Paul Heyse is a novella written in 1857. Set along the Sorrento coast, the story follows Tommaso, a former fisherman who retreated to a water mill seeking solitude after a tragic boating accident claimed his young friend Nino's life. When Lucia, Nino's widowed aunt and Tommaso's former love interest, visits after four years, she seeks to understand why they cannot be together. Tommaso must finally confess a devastating secret about the day Nino drowned—a truth that has haunted him into isolation.