The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

15 year old Michael falls ill with Hepatitis and is cared for briefly by a stranger, after recovering he goes to thank this stranger and subsequently begins a love affair with her. Slightly strange as she is in her middle 30's and he is a school boy of 15. The story follows this affair and how Michael reads to Hanna (the older woman) finally after a long affair Hanna leaves without warning. Heart broken at first Michael recovers and although he never forgets Hanna, and sets all future relationships against this one, he gains a good education and goes in to study law. It is during this time that he attends some war crime trials and is shocked to see Hanna in the dock, accused of not unlocking a burning church full of Jewish women, of which only a mother and daughter survive. She is accused of writing the report covering for herself and other female guards. Michael knows this is untrue as Hanna is illiterate. Regardless of this he says nothing and Hanna is finally sentenced to life in prison. Over her 18 year sentence Michael records hundreds if not thousands of books onto cassette sending her them to listen to. Only near the end of her sentence does he receive a small note from her so he knows she is learning to read and write. On the day of her release, of which Michael has been called in to help her reintegrate into the real world, Hanna hangs herself and leaves all her worldly goods and money to the Jewish daughter who survived the church fire, who subsequently doesn't want the money so Michael donates it to a Jewish illiteracy charity. All in all this is about sums it up.

I have read extensive material from the holocaust period, visited Auscwitzh and been very interested and horrified by the whole period. This book I didn't particularly value. I found it rather bland and forgiving to the monster that was the guard Hanna. Although I see the point of trying to humanize these guards and make them multi-faceted I didn't feel this was achieved. I know this has been made into a film and many would like to argue with me maybe on the basis of the film's success.I would like to see the film in order to judge for myself. I felt the idea was excellent but the execution of it was not so fluent.

If you are interested in this period then I would recommend it but don't expect too much.

I would recommend The fires of Berlin and Let me go, both by Helga Schneider if you are interested in some further reading. One follows on from the other and they are true accounts of the daughters experience of having a mother as an SS guard, the hatred, guilt and acceptance that she has to struggle with life long. I will write a review of them soon since we have discussed this area.

I am currently reading the Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.