"Six weeks have passed since my mother died, and I want to start working before the urge to write about her, which I felt so intensely on the day of her burial, turns into a numb inability to speak."
This novel is a long elegy for the author's mother. In it, Handke begins to tell her story from the beginning; from a young girl living in the countryside under her father's control, to a mature woman who migrated to the city to break free and experience a newfound freedom. A strong-willed woman, but towards the end of her days, she begins to crumble. . . and writes to her son, trying to find a way to return to who she once was. . . Will she succeed?
"I know I must find a way to make my situation bearable. I think about this a lot, but a successful method never comes to mind."
