The Vaalhart Lag

Tinus van Jaarsveld lives his life through a screen. In the dry, quiet suburbs of Centurion, South Africa, he is a ghost in his own home but a god in the world of Vaalhart. As the top-ranked player in the world, he has mastered the art of "clinical detachment" to keep his crippling social anxiety at bay. Then comes the invitation: a global championship in Texas with a ten-million-dollar prize pool. Leaving the safety of his room means facing everything he has spent years avoiding. The stifling Texas heat is nothing compared to the pressure of the stage, the intrusive glare of cameras, and the terrifying reality of being seen. But amidst the chaos of the tournament, Tinus meets Charlie a local who doesn't care about his rankings or his digital fame. As the lines between his online persona and his physical self begin to blur, Tinus must decide if he is willing to trade the safety of the lag for the messy, unpredictable vulnerability of real life.