Sometimes I read books and halfway through I start to wonder why it took me so long to find them. How is it that I am just now reading Bernhard Schlink's The Reader? An Oprah's book club book, I read this one fairly quickly even though it was one of those books that makes you want to take your time and savor the writing. I really enjoyed Schlink's style; it is abrupt and brutal and simple, yet almost always beautiful.This was March's book club pick and probably my favorite book of the year. Controversial and thought provoking, I enjoyed whetting my literary chops on this one. I found myself slipping back into English major mode, questioning everything and trying to figure out my stance on just what Schlink is saying.
Set in Germany in the years following the Holocaust, The Reader tells the story of a love affair between a former concentration camp guard and the teenage boy she helps one day on his way home from school. Part one is slightly unsettling and a little hard to swallow at times but the portrayal of this young boy's love for this older woman is gripping, as is the impending fallout their love affair causes.
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