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A review by andrew61
The Weekend by Bernhard Schlink
3.0
The history of Germany in the last hundred years is fascinating and this book gives an interesting analysis of a particular aspect from a view some thirty years after the event. In this book Schlink, rather than considering the effect on modern Germans of the second world war as he did famously in The Reader, is considering another disturbing period the 1970's when internal terrorism and revolutionaries such as the Baader Meinhof gang were kidnapping and killing prominent German businessmen.
The subject of the book is Jorg, who has been in prison for 24 years for four such murders and after a presidential pardon is being released. Somewhat bizarrely his sister Christine decides that what he needs is a weekend in a country house where several of his old friends should be invited. This premise allows Schlink to consider through various means the morality and effect of acts 30 years before. Thus one guest seeks to closely and uncomfortably question Jorg on how it felt to kill someone , another Jorg's son railles against his father's morals , whilst Jorg tries to justify his actions . Other characters develop romantic connections and one a writer reconstructs the imaginary life of a deceased revolutionary.
It was certainly an interesting read which carries on the theme of The Reader around guilt for past crimes. It certainly made me want to explore more about the period when the events were occurring and the reasons why such political ferment arose in Germany at that time. However as a read at times its introspection was overdone and I couldn't help but think it was simply at times lacked subtlety in its message however I think it is worth reading .
The subject of the book is Jorg, who has been in prison for 24 years for four such murders and after a presidential pardon is being released. Somewhat bizarrely his sister Christine decides that what he needs is a weekend in a country house where several of his old friends should be invited. This premise allows Schlink to consider through various means the morality and effect of acts 30 years before. Thus one guest seeks to closely and uncomfortably question Jorg on how it felt to kill someone , another Jorg's son railles against his father's morals , whilst Jorg tries to justify his actions . Other characters develop romantic connections and one a writer reconstructs the imaginary life of a deceased revolutionary.
It was certainly an interesting read which carries on the theme of The Reader around guilt for past crimes. It certainly made me want to explore more about the period when the events were occurring and the reasons why such political ferment arose in Germany at that time. However as a read at times its introspection was overdone and I couldn't help but think it was simply at times lacked subtlety in its message however I think it is worth reading .