The Fire

In her perceptive and affecting new novel, Daniela Krien explores a marriage where everything hangs in the balance. "Quietly devastating . . . Krien beautifully conveys [a] sense of impotent frustration, familial tensions and the thwarted desires of middle age" HANNAH BECKERMANN, ObserverHow can two lovers find a way back to each other, when the pain of the past stands between them?With plans adrift after a fire burns down their rented holiday cabin, Rahel and Peter find themselves unexpectedly on an isolated farm where Rahel spent many a happy childhood summer. Suddenly, after years of navigating careers, demanding children and the monotony of the daily routine, they find themselves unable to escape each other's company. With three weeks stretching ahead, they must come to an understanding on whether they have a future together."A stylish, subtle read" Woman & Home BOOK OF THE MONTHWhat happens when love grows older and passion has faded? When what divides us is greater than what brought us together? And how easy is it to ask the fundamental questions about our relationships? Praise for LOVE IN FIVE ACTS:"Highly recommended" The Times "Exquisite . . . Utterly captivating" Woman and Home"Unfailingly impressive" Irish Times "Beautifully direct and lucid prose" Sydney Morning Herald"A beautiful novel" New European "Sympathetic and clear-eyed" Financial Times"An intelligent study of female ambition and frailty" ObserverTranslated from the German by Jamie Bulloch