Daniela Krien

Linda once had a life filled with work, family, friendships, and familiar routines. But after the devastating death of her seventeen-year-old daughter, Sonja, and her own cancer diagnosis, everything she once relied on begins to fall apart. Leaving her husband, Richard, and her life in Leipzig behind, Linda retreats to an old farmhouse in the Saxon countryside, where she attempts to live quietly, far removed from the world and its expectations. Her days revolve around tending the garden and caring for the house, but solitude cannot entirely protect her from grief. An unexpected connection with her neighbour, Natascha, and Natascha’s spirited young daughter, Nine, gradually opens a door to renewed human connection. With restrained, perceptive prose, Daniela Krien explores bereavement, motherhood, resilience, and the possibility of beginning again after profound loss. My Third Life is a moving reflection on how life can change irrevocably while still leaving room for hope.