Sad Freedom

Love or self-realization? This is the dilemma faced by Hana, a woman nearing thirty who hasn't yet achieved her goals. She decides to choose freedom, believing it to be the first step towards self-realization. She travels to Berlin and struggles to find a job and a suitable position that aligns with her aspirations. How will her journey end? Even more difficult than choosing between these two paths is bearing the consequences of that choice. Hana faces the consequences of her decision to embrace freedom, but it's a "sad freedom"—a freedom accompanied by loneliness, unhappiness, and financial hardship. Thus, she faces another internal conflict: will she accept her choice or make a new one? The book won the Austrian Book Prize for addressing a pressing social issue affecting young people.