Review: The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Review of the book “The Reader” by Bernhard Schlink.

“The Reader” is a novel by German author Bernhard Schlink, originally published in 1995. The story focuses on the relationship between Michael Berg, a young teenager in post-war Germany, and Hanna Schmitz, a woman much older than Michael, with who has a loving and secret relationship.

In this post I would like to talk to you about a book that has had a profound impact on me: “The Reader” by Bernhard Schlink. It is a novel that addresses such complex and delicate topics as the Holocaust, guilt, love and reading.

The story begins in Germany in 1958, when Michael Berg, a fifteen-year-old young man, meets Hanna Schmitz, a thirty-six-year-old woman who works as a tram conductor. An erotic and sentimental relationship arises between them that is based on a ritual: before making love, Michael reads aloud to Hanna fragments of classic works of German literature. Hanna seems to greatly enjoy reading, but she hides a secret that will mark her and Michael’s destiny.

One day, Hanna disappears without a trace and Michael does not hear from her again until seven years later, when they meet again at a trial in which she is accused of having participated in Nazi crimes during the war. Michael then discovers the reason why Hanna left and faces a moral dilemma: should he help her or condemn her? Can he forgive her or should he forget her? What role does reading play in your relationship and your responsibility?

“The Reader” is a novel that asks difficult questions and does not offer easy answers. It is a work that makes us reflect on the past and present of Germany, on memory and oblivion, on justice and compassion, on the power and limits of the word. It is a work that tells us about love in all its forms and contradictions: youthful and passionate love, mature and resigned love, guilty and redemptive love.

Bernhard Schlink is a German writer and jurist who has achieved international success with this novel. The book has been translated into thirty-nine languages ​​and has been adapted to film by director Stephen Daldry, with Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes as protagonists. The film was nominated for five Oscars and Winslet won best actress for her performance as Hanna.

I recommend that you read “The Reader” if you want to enjoy a well-written, moving and intelligent novel that will make you think and feel. It is a novel that will not leave you indifferent and that will stay with you long after you close its pages.

The novel begins with the love story between Michael and Hanna, which develops in a series of sexual encounters in their apartment. Even though Michael is deeply in love with her, Hanna maintains a certain emotional distance and keeps her own secrets. Finally, after several months of encounters, Hanna disappears without a trace and Michael is devastated.

Years later, Michael is a law student and has the opportunity to see Hanna again. She is a defendant in a Nazi war crimes trial in which it is discovered that she was a guard at a concentration camp. Michael, as a lawyer, attends the trial and discovers a shocking secret about Hanna, forcing him to reflect on his own complicity in his country’s history and Hanna’s guilt.

“The Reader” is a novel that explores complex and deep themes such as guilt, regret, and individual and collective responsibility. The work examines how the past can continue to affect the present and how each individual’s personal history is inextricably linked to the history of their country. Schlink also examines questions of justice and truth, as well as the difficulty of judging people for their actions in a different historical and cultural context.

Michael’s first-person narration offers an intimate and detailed perspective on the story. Schlink’s prose is simple and direct, making the novel easy to follow but no less powerful. The author also uses the metaphor of reading as a central theme in the novel, giving it an additional dimension and making it a work about the power of literature to help understand the past and present.

In short, “The Reader” is a powerful and moving novel that addresses deep and universal themes with skill and sensitivity. The work is a reflection on guilt, repentance, and individual and collective responsibility, and raises important questions about justice and truth. Schlink’s simple and direct prose, combined with the metaphor of reading, makes “The Reader” a work that will captivate the reader from the first page.