The Fire

Daniela Krien was born in 1975 in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, then in the G.D.R. Her first novel, Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything, was published in English in 2013 (MacLehose Press) and in fourteen other languages. For a subsequent volume of short stories, Muldental, she was awarded the Nicolaus Born Prize. Love in Five Acts has been sold for translation into twenty languages. She lives in Leipzig with her two daughters.

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In her perceptive and affecting new novel, Daniela Krien explores a marriage where everything hangs in the balance.

"Quietly devastating" HANNAH BECKERMANN, Observer

"A stylish, subtle read" Woman & Home BOOK OF THE MONTH

"Perfectly paced, nuanced" Saga Magazine PICK OF THE MONTH

"Powerful . . . subtle and psychologically astute" Times Literary Supplement

"Beautifully written" Independent

How 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.

What 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" Observer

Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch

A quietly devastating portrayal of a marriage . . . Krien beautifully conveys Rahel's sense of impotent frustration, familial tensions and the thwarted desires of middle age
[A] slim yet powerful novel about families and relationships . . . subtle and psychologically astute . . . acutely observed
With her trademark hypnotic prose, Krien looks at the nuances of a relationship with honesty and clarity. A stylish, subtle read that digs deeps into the human psyche.
The intersecting of a troubled past, uneasy present and increasingly uncertain future makes for a quiet, reflective read
Deeply engaging . . . Beautifully written, subtle and shines a light on the feelings and desires of middle-aged women
Impactful
The Fire examines the endurance of long-time love through a couple finding themselves cocooned in an isolated farmhouse for three weeks.
[A] perfectly paced, nuanced, forgiving story of good, flawed people with a family secret at its heart
The plot develops with summery lightness, and the intellectual depth of this book is gradually revealed.
Daniela Krien's The Fire achieves the masterstroke of touching upon the existential without flaunting it.
She writes clearly and without frills. Her language is never banal, but always artfully literary.