Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Høytleseren

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Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Høytleseren by Bernhard Schlink

86 reviews

yakoda's review against another edition

3.75

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

viviundworte's review against another edition

3.0

dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

librarymouse's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

The Reader is a book that pulls you in. Schlink's narrative style, clipped sentences, and the reflective nature of the content creates a tangible window into Michael's world and the dilemmas faced by the generation of Germans born right after the Holocaust. I did not particularly like Michael or Hanna. Both are intrinsically flawed individuals, but their characters and the way they interact are written in a relatable way. You can understand them even as you hate what they are justifying. I've read this book repeatedly and with every re-read I am older and

more disturbed by the content and the characters' continued justification of pedophilia and Michael's active sympathize for Hanna despite knowing she was a Nazi who sent Jews to their deaths, all to avoid her illiteracy being made common knowledge. I like that she was offered no absolution by the last living member of the group of women she guarded, and I think the unsatisfactory ending fits well with the realities of life after reconciling with the unforgivably actions of a loved one. Part of me wishes there was more direct acknowledgement of the way Hanna's sexual and emotional abuse impacted Michael. The other part of me knows that Michael's continued devotion to her in sending the cassettes, keeping her letters, and his inability to form and maintain close interpersonal relationships is indirectly addressing that impact, and that directly addressing it would have taken away from the reflective, almost voyeuristic nature of the novel.

Content Warnings