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Intro

Whilst perusing the charity book list at work (books for 25p) I came across “The Reader”, and being vaguely aware that it had recently been made into a film and that it had issues surrounding the Holocaust in it I was quick to part with my 25p before someone else got it!

I haven’t been reading much this year, choosing instead to stare out of the train window at sheep. However, from the moment I picked up this book I was hooked and it was over before I knew it (well, a day and a bit later technically).

This is a difficult book to review since I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, I have read reviews which give away something quite major which we don’t find out until well into the story (although I have to admit I’m a bit slow and don’t ever really try to think about what is going to happen). Thankfully although I had read such reviews my memory is terrible and therefore it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the story – it was all new to me!

The Book and the Author

The book is just 216 pages in length (the other reason it was so quick to read), and split into three sections. Each section is split into short chapters, some as short as only 2 pages. While really short chapters do tend to annoy me, I have to say that they didn’t in this case and if anything they made me read more quickly than otherwise. My copy has a black and white photo of an open book with flowers placed on it.

“The Reader” was written by Bernard Schlink in 1995 in German, and the English version was translated by Carol Brown Janeway, in 1997. Some might be interested to hear that it was the first German book to top the New York Times bestseller list (isn’t Wikipedia great?!)

Schlink (according to my book) is the author of Flights of Love, and according to Wikipedia is an author of lots of books (mainly detective novels) as well as being a judge. Of course you can just as easily Google Schlink yourself, but I have to say it’s quite interesting reading a bit about him having read “The Reader” as I can understand more where he is coming from.

The Story

The Reader (or Der Vorleser as it was originally known) is told in the first person retrospectively. When we begin (in the late 1950s) Michael Berg is a boy of 15. Having been suffering from hepatitis Michael goes to meet and thank Hanna Schmitz, the lady who gave him help when he first fell ill in the street.

Michael and Hanna begin what is a very strange relationship which is predominantly based around sex rather than talking to each other, but then around reading as Hanna asks Michael to read to her. It’s all quite shocking really, while Michael is only 15, Hanna is 36 (of course this gives us a lot to think about!) But then one day Hanna just disappears…

Fast forward 8 years and we’re in the second park of the book. Michael is now a law student, observing a war crimes trial where a group of women are on trial for atrocities in Auschwitz where they were guards. Michael is shocked to discover that Hanna is one of the women on trial.

Part three is about what happened after the trial. I don’t really want to say any more about the story, as you can find that out for yourself when you read it!

My Thoughts

This book really did make me think. There were at least 2 occasions where I had to put the book down so that I could have a think! It particularly made me think about the Holocaust in a slightly different way, thinking about the choices that the Germans made and why they made them. The book is written to question, as Michael questions the actions of those in the generation before him.

I went through so many emotions whilst reading this – shock, disbelief, pride, anger, sadness, discomfort. To an extent I felt how Michael felt, that whole feeling of regret. And while I can’t say that I would necessarily have acted in the ways that he acted I can understand his character. Obviously since the book is narrated by Michael, the other characters are based on his perceptions of them, and they can never be developed since we only know what Michael knows.

I love the way the book was written, although of course it is hard to say as I haven’t read it in its original German form - that would be stupid really as my German only extends as far as Ich bin zwolf jahre alt! Michael’s memories of the past are not always clear, and he makes the reader aware of this, for example “It is hard for me to imagine that I felt good about behaving like that”. Michael seems mature beyond his years when talking about his 15 year old self, but of course that is because he is looking back as an adult. Perhaps this is why I don’t think the sexual relationship between child and adult wasn’t as shocking as it otherwise might have been.

I suppose that in a way I am disappointed that the book was so short, there is so much more that could have been included (such as more about Michael’s relationship with his family), it could have been at least twice the length. However, on the other hand everything that needed to be in the book was in the book, there was much left to the imagination (pretty much everything about Hanna), and this is a good thing. What I’m saying really is that as I enjoyed the book so much I would have liked that experience to have gone on for longer. In reality the book was the perfect length for the book!

I am fascinated with learning more about the Holocaust…in fact “The Nazi Officer’s Wife” is next on my reading list. “Schindler’s List” (sadly I just couldn’t get into the book) and “The Pianist” are high up on my list of favourite films. “The Reader” approaches the issue from a very different angle, and although it is a work of fiction, of course the issues are not fiction. I suppose similar in ways to “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” which had quite an effect on me (although admittedly certain parts of that are far from realistic).

Concluding remarks and a bit about the film

It is rare that a book touches me like “The Reader” has. I had no intention of writing a review when I started reading the book, but if I can encourage someone else to read this then it’s got to be worth it.

Since reading the book and writing this review I bought and watched the film version which was made in 2008, starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. I knew before watching it that it wasn't going to come anywhere close to the book in terms of the impact that it would have on me. However, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised and would certainly recommend giving it a watch if you have read and enjoyed the book. On the other hand if you have seen the film and were not impressed then I would still recommend reading the book (which is a lot better) even though the element of surprise won't be there.