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Book Reviews Title The
Reader Fiction-Net
Rating Buy It
From Amazon.co.uk - BUY
NOW! Cover
Story For 15-year-old
Michael Berg, a chance meeting with an older woman
leads to far more than he ever imagined. The woman
in question is Hanna, and before long they embark
on a passionate, clandestine love affair which
leaves Michael both euphoric and confused. For
Hanna is not all she seems. Years later, as a law
student observing a trial in Germany, Michael is
shocked to realize that the person in the dock is
Hanna. The woman he had loved is a criminal. Much
about her behaviour during the trial does not make
sense. But then suddenly, and terribly, it does -
Hanna is not only obliged to answer for a horrible
crime, she is also desperately concealing an even
deeper secret. 'A tender, horrifying novel that
shows blazingly well how the Holocaust should be
dealt with in fiction. A thriller, a love story and
a deeply moving examination of a German conscience'
Independent Saturday Magazine We
Say The Reader by
Bernhard Schlink is an unusual novel. It has
received international attention and has been
translated from German. Because it is a
translation, I have to wonder what has been lost in
the translation. Despite being unable to read this
novel in its native language, the subject matter
makes this novel moving without even trying. I feel
this is an unusual novel because to some, the story
may be offensive. Despite the obstacles, Schlink
manages to tell this story from a very unique
perspective. Amid the tragedy, horror and hope, The
Reader seems to explores the human need to know why
and how. The narrator
falls in love when he is fifteen with a woman named
Hanna, who is twice his age. At the time of the
affair he is unaware of how this event will define
the rest of his life. The idea that a fifteen year
old would have an affair with a woman twice his age
may be every young man's dream, but for most it is
a disturbing image. Schlink seems to use this
disturbing affair as a way to prepare the reader
for what will be revealed later in the
novel. While I wanted to
dislike Hanna, I found myself feeling profoundly
sad for her as the novel progressed and eventually
I had to admire her courage. The narrator spends
considerable time wondering why things have
happened, or how things could have been different
in his relationship with Hanna. It is his journey
that helps us to see that our desire to know why
can be our best and worst quality. We all have
secrets, and the characters in this novel are no
different. Schlink does an excellent job revealing
all of the deepest darkest secrets of his
characters. What is so realistic and amazing about
this novel is that our perceptions of what we
should hide from others is challenged. What society
may think is the most horrible secret, is the one
the characters are least concerned about hiding.
The secret that society may feel is trivial is
often the one people tend to guard extensively. As
a whole generation of Germans searched for the
reasons why the Holocaust was allowed, our narrator
is forced to examine his own perceptions and he
must reexamine which secrets in his life are really
worth keeping. Once again, this
is a novel that explores the tragedy and triumph of
a human life. While I am forced to disagree with
the reviews that state that this is a novel that
should be read, then read again, I will have to
agree that it is a well written novel well worth
the time it takes to read it. I am always in favor
of books that challenge our most cherished beliefs
about a group of people, or a supposed wrong that
has been committed. The Reader accomplished this
and it definitely made think. Review by: Yumi
Nagasaki-Taylor |
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