The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

 

This book has been forgotten on my shelves for quite a while. I only just remembered about it after the Golden Globes where Kate Winslet won a Globe for Best Actress for her role in The Reader.

 

I got curious, and I checked out the trailers for the videos, and then I dug this book out from behind the shelves and finally read it.

 

It's about a fifteen-year-old boy, Michael Berg, who got sick on the way home from school and Hanna, a woman much older than him, who helped him.

 

They became lovers eventually, and one day she disappears from his life without a word.

 

Much later, as a law student, he sees her again at court where she's on trial for a horrible crime, but she refuses to defend herself. Michael realizes that she's trying to protect a secret.

 

I guessed Hanna's secret early on in the book, because I felt the hints were pretty obvious, and I haven't decided if she was 'right' or 'wrong' in trying to hide it. I don't think I would continue to keep it a secret if I was on trial for murder, but on the other hand, I could not imagine how much shame I would feel if it was my own secret.

 

I also wonder why the ending was the way it is. I don't understand the need for Hanna's actions in the end.

 

It's hard to tell what I think of certain things in the novel without giving away spoilers. I did enjoy the book very much, however, and I found it a very easy read.

 

This book is available for discussion on Betty's Book Chats.