Die Wildmohnfrau

One morning, when Mia's mother opens the newspaper, she comes across a personal ad that will turn her small family's life upside down. Without hesitation, she decides to leave the father of her child and embark on an uncertain journey with her five-year-old daughter. What sounds like promise and adventure to the life-hungry mother means one thing for the child: the painful loss of her roots. Time and again, Mia has to adapt to entirely new environments and leave behind the familiar and beloved; yet alongside many fears and deep loneliness, the girl also experiences fleeting moments of happiness.

The author Sarah Knausenberger has prefaced each chapter of her novel with a brief botanical excursion. In this way, she intertwines general scientific insights about plant growth with the individual story of a young girl who must grow up far too quickly under adverse external conditions. Nevertheless, she manages to wrest a little bit of reliability from life and ultimately finds her inner home.

In harmony with the botanical reflections, the book contains 14 small ink drawings embedded in collages by illustrator Elke Ehninger, as well as additional full-page collages that reflect the moods of the book and its multifaceted themes.