A short slice of life novella following Marili's fifth year of life in the Austrian countryside with her grandparents. Life is quiet, but mere existence in a remote place during tough winters sets you against real stakes and the tragedies that haunt a family. This put me in mind of Tove Jansson's The Summer Book. Not real plotty--just the experience of a contained period from a child's perspective and a deep connection to the weather and environment of a place, the feel of the sun on your skin for the first time in young memory.

Haushofer's The Wall has made me eagerly seek out each new English translation, and this 1952 novella does not disappoint.

Gorgeous, well-written, somewhat haunting and ambiguous, and very short work detailing one five-year-old girl, Marili, and one year of her life on her grandparents' farm. 5 stars. Thanks to New Direction and Netgalley for the E-ARC.

My first Haushofer, and it will not be my last.
My thanks to New Directions and NetGalley for an eARC of this title, to be published May 5, 2026.
While English language publishers showed some interest in Haushofer's work while she was alive (1920-1970, died of bone cancer), she never caught on with English readers.
But the 2021 film of her "The Wall" (I've yet to read it, or see the film) generated some new interest.
"The Fifth Year" is Haushofer's first published work. A novella from 1952, told from the perspective of a 5 year old girl in Austria. Living with her grandparents in a rural area, because her parents (and their siblings) all have died, mostly in WWII.
We go through the four seasons, starting with Winter. The Seasons and her connection to her grandmother and grandfather - two very different personalities - are the two most important influnces of her young life.
From the POV of the little girl. things (and I do mean "things") become filled with meaning and life. Plants, animals, objects, all have an otherworldliness and a sense of "humanity" about them that is all their own.
My favorite section of the slight book (about 90 pp) was Summer. Where she goes down 3 different paths, and describes her feelings about the plants and settings for each one of them.
The whole little work reminds me Tove Jansson’s "The Summer Book", or the books by Tarjei Vesaas, with their unique view, and feeling, of Nature.
Looking forward to reading more by Haushofer; about half her work is translated into English - and a couple of the titles are not inexpensive to purchase.
4.5 out of 5

A lovely, sometimes dark and grief-filled story of a young girl experiencing her fifth year of life. The descriptions of the seasons changing and her astute observations about her Grandmother and Grandfather were quite charming. The effect of war on her family is very evident, shown gently through the curious perspective of a child. I liked this, there are a lot of themes covered in a small amount of pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the ARC!

Haushofer is always a meditative read and Fifth Year was no exception. Here we follow a 5 year old girl in Austria who has been taken in by her grandparents. The story follows each season and her connection to her grandparents. I love the consistent connection to nature and my favourite section of this book was Summer. This is very much a plotless, slice of life type of novel which isn’t always my thing but I really enjoyed it in the Fifth Year.