Published in 1962, this is the only novel by Marlen Haushofer available in English. It is the tale of a middle-aged woman who suspects herself to be the last woman on earth. The unnamed woman tells her story of solitude as she writes in her journal - frequently at first, but as the seasons role on her writing becomes more sporadic.
She begins by explaining that she has gone out to visit her cousin and her cousin's husband at their cabin, when her hosts find that they must travel back to the town for some supplies. Left with the company of the couple's dog Lynx, The Woman is only slightly annoyed when her companions do not return that night. When they still haven't returned the next day, The Woman begins exploring her territory.
She took Lynx out with her, and while walking, Lynx seemed to bump his head and cried out. The Woman followed, and herself encountered an invisible force. After several moments of disbelief, she decided that there actually was an invisible wall in front of her. She sees a stream blocked off by the wall, and a man frozen in place as though he were drinking from the now empty waterway.
After several more excursions, The Woman begins to find ways to live. She discovers a cow in the pasture which provides her with milk and an additional companionship. She plants a grove of potatoes from a bag of them she found in the pantry of the cabin. In the winters, she often goes hungry.
After years of solitude, a strange man appears in the pasteur after killing Lynx...
This is a very interesting tale, and is more suspenseful than one might imagine. It is mostly billed as a feminist fiction story. I don't wish to give away the entire story, so I will leave it to read.