Staff Pick
A young man and an older woman have a torrid love affair, until she disappears one day without a trace. Ten years later, he's in law school, watching a trial, and there she is: charged with Nazi war crimes! Yes, she does have a secret, but it's not what you think. Excellent! Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
For 15-year-old Michael Berg, a chance meeting with an older woman leads to far more than he ever imagined. The woman in question is Hanna, and before long they embark on a passionate, clandestine love affair which leaves Michael both euphoric and confused. For Hanna is not all she seems. Years later, as a law student observing a trial in Germany, Michael is shocked to realize that the person in the dock is Hanna. The woman he had loved is a criminal. Much about her behaviour during the trial does not make sense. But then suddenly, and terribly, it does Hanna is not only obliged to answer for a horrible crime, she is also desperately concealing an even deeper secret.
Review
"A formally beautiful, disturbing and finally morally devastating novel. From the first page, [The Reader] ensnares both heart and mind." Los Angeles Times
Review
"[A] gripping psychological study that moves skillfully toward its surprising and moving conclusion." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Simplified Chinese edition of Der Vorlester or The Reader, winner of the Fisk Fiction Prize. A young man tries to make sense of human fallacies and the shame felt by the people connected to the Holocaust in postwar Germany. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.
About the Author
Bernhard Schlink was born in Germany in 1944. A professor of law at the University of Berlin and a practicing judge, he is the author of the major international best-selling novel The Reader as well as several prize-winning crime novels. He lives in Bonn and Berlin.