My Third Life
Germany

My Third Life

by Daniela Krien

Family & Heritage Fiction 2026

Summary

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.

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Country
Germany
Europe
About the author
Daniela Krien
Daniela Krien

Daniela Krien is a German novelist born in 1975 in Neu-Kaliß, in what was then East Germany. She studied cultural studies, communication, and media studies in Leipzig before becoming a full-time writer in 2010. Her literary debut, Someday We’ll Tell Each Other Everything (Irgendwann werden wir uns alles erzählen), was published in 2011 and explores love and desire against the backdrop of German reunification. Her short-story collection Muldental received the Nicolaus Born Debut Prize in 2015. Krien gained widespread recognition with Love in Five Acts (Die Liebe im Ernstfall, 2019), a bestselling novel portraying the lives and relationships of five women, followed by The Fire (2021), which examines marriage and the challenges of long-term relationships. Her novels have been translated into numerous languages. My Third Life (Mein drittes Leben, 2024) was shortlisted for the German Book Prize. Krien lives in Leipzig with her two daughters.

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Details
Published
2026
Author
Daniela Krien