At seventy-six, Martin Brehm is, by his own measure, content. He tends his garden, writes, and cares for his six-year-old son, David, while his much younger wife pursues her work as a painter. Their life, though unconventional, feels complete – until a diagnosis of terminal cancer gives him only months to live. Confronted with the certainty of his death, Martin becomes determined to secure a future for those he loves and leave behind something lasting. But as his plans unfold, he begins to question what it truly means to give. What will remain a gift and what will become a burden? In the final season of his life, Martin must face the limits of intention and the necessity of letting go. The Late Life is a tender, searching and quietly profound novel that explores how to live fully at the edge of death, the value of a good death and how to leave, well. Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
