In a remote house on a hilltop, a lonely boy tries - and fails - to flee the clutches of his increasingly deranged parent. When at last a stranger knocks at his door, the boy senses that his days of isolation might be over. What is the purpose behind his questions? Is he friend? Enemy? A novella filled with beauty and terror, This Census-Taker is a poignant exploration of memory and identity. A profoundly moving novella.