The Reader

I don't really know what to say about this book. The plot is really thin and any character development gets bogged down in a lengthy philosophical discussion about guilt. In this book Schlink seeks to analyze the concept of collective guilt in post-war Germany and how it affected the second generation; the generation who were children during the Holocaust but whose parents may, actively or passively, have participated in it. The Reader was nominated for, and won, several international awards but I didn't enjoy it. I had a problem with the relationship between Michael and Hannah because, although it was consensual, I kept wondering whether it was even legal. By today's standards it wouldn't be and it made me rather uncomfortable. Apart from that, dry philosophical arguments are not my strong point. They bore me to tears and I don't have the patience for them unless they make me feel something. Unfortunately, this book just didn't. Thankfully, I read it relatively quickly and it's one of those rare cases where I found the movie more engaging than the book.