On the surface this domestic novel is about the trivialities of the life of a housewife. But beneath her calm exterior is a world full of inner turmoil which, although small in scope, is nonetheless serious to her. Forced into facing her troubled past she looks at her life, her marriage and behind everything is the sense of Austria's own troubled history. Funny and disturbing, I was surprised by how gripped I was by this small, intriguing book.