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Medium soft cover
Name of previous owner in ink on back of front cover
Good condition
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink is a haunting and morally complex novel that explores guilt, shame, and the legacy of the Holocaust through the lens of a deeply personal relationship. Set in post-war Germany, the story follows Michael Berg, a fifteen-year-old boy who begins a passionate affair with Hanna Schmitz, a woman twice his age. Their relationship is intense and secretive, marked by a ritual of reading aloud before their encounters.
Years later, Michael, now a law student, is stunned to see Hanna on trial for war crimes committed during her time as a concentration camp guard. As he watches the proceedings, he uncovers a secret she has kept hiddenone that could change the outcome of the trial but also reveals the depth of her shame. The novel delves into the psychological and emotional aftermath of the Holocaust, examining how ordinary people grapple with complicity, justice, and redemption.
Schlinks prose is spare and elegant, allowing the moral weight of the story to unfold with quiet intensity. The Reader is not only a meditation on historical responsibility but also a deeply personal tale of love, loss, and the painful process of coming to terms with the past.
