The first novel by Marlen Haushofer – newly published and scientifically annotated, with a foreword by Angela Lehner. A young woman fakes her own death to escape from her family. After years of societal and domestic constraints, she wants to break free from the roles of wife, mother, and lover: to build her own life instead of leading a dictated double life. Years later, she returns to the house she once left – unrecognized by her own son, filled with memories yet without regret. A Handful of Life is Marlen Haushofer's first novel and encapsulates the various possible worlds in the life of a woman who chooses the path to reality.