#1 Nat'l bestseller, I'm sure the majority of you have heard of this book since it was made into a fantastic motion picture by the Weinsten Bros. (Kate Winslett had the starring role and won her 1st ever Oscar for that title role this year). The novel was published in '97 and written by German author Bernhard Schlink, originally in German, translated to English. I saw the film first, then read the book (reverse of what I prefer), so I knew exactly what was going to happen in the story. The film basically stuck to the book except for one bit part at the end.
It's a short, easy to read novel written in first person and narrated by the Ralph Fiennes character from his entire point of view. He (Michael) is the Reader, but we find out that Hanna (Winslett's character) has had many "readers" throughout her life since she is illiterate and this is the huge explosive secret that is her final undoing. It is a Holocaust-themed story, though most of it occurs after the war and during Hanna's trial (she was a guard in a women's prison camp) and the years subsequently following. The book is gripping and harrowing as it makes me question morality and has philosophical issues. The reader (in this case - me, the audience reading this book, and Michael ) is in a quandary as to how a human can reconcile himself with a life-saving question: Do I reveal a life-long kept secret of Hanna's that I know but she doesn't know I know? It's obvious how sacred and important this secret is to her and she will undergo an unfair trial, signing documents that she can't even read, resulting in a sacrifice of her freedom. I (Michael) can see that this is her decision to make and perhaps it's her way of making atonement for being a willing participant in the Nazi machine.
The novel is so compelling and extremely worthwhile to read. I have no other choice but to give it what it rightfully deserves, a five-star rating.
