Author: Bernhard Schlink

Pages-Paperback: 224 pages

Publisher: Vintage, a Division of Random House, Inc.; Reprint edition (November 25, 2008)

Language: English

Type: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0307454894

ISBN-13: 978-0307454898

Movie Website:
www.thereader-movie.com

Translated By: Carol Brown Janeway

Reading Guide:
www.readinggroupcenter.com

This INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER was one that I had not heard of until I had heard about the movie with Kate Winslet. Being such a fan of her work, I was intrigued by the movie trailers and wanted to learn more. After hearing a bit here and there, I decided to order it for myself on Amazon.com. I ordered the paperback version, movie-tie in with Kate Winslet on the cover for $11.19. I just finished the book and CANNOT WAIT to see the movie. I am hoping to go tomorrow. I know that Amy at My Friend Amy Blog has written a detailed review on the book vs. the movie. I’m avoiding the post until I see the movie. Even so, you can jump over there for her opinion on the comparison between the two.

So, the book… WOW. I actually liked it very much. It is most definitely a classic, even being that it was translated from German to English.  The book is broken into three parts.  Part One of the book describes how Michael meets Hanna Schmitz. While she was 36, he was 15 years old at the time they met and they had lasting a sexual affair. Obviously, with the age difference being equivalent to a mother/son relationship, there are many taboos about this affair.  For example, when they run away together for Easter vacation, they register as mother & son when checking into hotel rooms. Despite all of this, I never had the feeling that Michael was being sexually abused, although technically he was. He just seemed mentally mature enough for the interaction on many levels. Of course, being his first relationship, there were many things that he was not prepared for and he did suffer those first hurts. Michael loved Hanna and held onto his memories as mental snapshots in his mind. During their love affair, Hanna asks Michael to read various pieces of literature to her during each visit before their lovemaking. Sadly, at the end of Part One, Hanna leaves town and loses contact with Michael.

Part Two of the book brings the reader Michael’s life at college while studying law. As part of his education, he is an observer of a trial in which several female guards were accused of crimes affiliated with the Holocaust. Hanna is one of the accused and Michael suffers a wealth of complicated thoughts and emotions because of this. She is aware of the fact that Michael is there, however they do not communicate. In addition, Michael finally identifies that Hanna is illiterate and sees that her pride hinders her ability to confess her truth in the trial. Michael considers telling the judge about this to lessen Hanna’s punishment, however elects not to. Hanna is sentenced to life in prison. Michael best describes his feelings in the story:

“I wanted simultaneously to understand Hanna’s crime and to condemn it. But it was too terrible for that. When I tried to understand it, I had the feeling I was failing to condemn it as it must be condemned, there was no room for understanding. But even as I wanted to understand Hanna, failing to understand her meant betraying her all over again. I could not resolve this. I wanted to pose myself both tasks-understanding and condemnation. But it was impossible to do both.”

The final part of the book walks the reader through Michael’s life after the trial. He ends up marrying and having a daughter. However, this marriage is doomed to failure for many reasons, one of them being that Michael is still in love with Hanna. After his divorce, Michael recites literature into a recording device and sends the tapes to Hanna in prison. In receiving these tapes, she eventually learns to read and further commences to write. She sends notes back to Michael regarding these tapes. After 18 years, Hanna is awarded clemency and is set for release. Michael is contacted by the warden of the prison because he is only one who has been in contact with her during her 18-year stay. The ending of this book is simply unbelievable and I did not see it coming.

I cannot wait to see this movie and from reading the book, I can see that Kate Winslet is the perfect actress to play the part of Hanna. Here is a movie preview:

On Sher’s “Out of 10 Scale:”

In the genre, fiction, I am rating this book a 10 out of 10. It’s simply an excellent book that is very thought provoking on many levels. The philosophical and moral discussions that would arise as a discussion out of this book I could only wish to be a part of… I want to be in a book club! Anybody know of any in Orange County, California?

14 Responses to “Book Review: The Reader”