korrick 's review for:

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
3.0
This is a curious book, curious in its effect on people. The large age difference between the lovers brings to mind Lolita; it's astonishing how much the choice of the genders of the old and the young affects the reputation of the two books. People are much more likely to forgive Hanna than Humbert, although Hanna's statutory rape receives much more (straightforward) description
Spoiler, and she's a Nazi to boot
. Although it's true that Hanna didn't kidnap her youngling. But never mind that.
The book clearly illustrates the large scale repercussions the Holocaust had on the world at large, how the future will never be able to outrun the memories of horror and waves of guilt. Michael is the embodiment of the second generation of Germans whose parents were involved in some way with WWII, whether directly acting or a conforming bystander. The children of these participants, whether willing or unwilling, are all too eager to break off and sentence their parents to a life of regret, saying how could their parents judge them while they themselves have so much to atone for? Michael discovers over the course of the novel that he can't do this, not fully and absolutely, much as he can't bring himself to pass judgment on Hanna for her crimes, or on himself for loving a criminal. He instead escapes to the past of legal history and jargon
Spoiler, much as Hanna escapes from her illiteracy and the life she has led because of it by having people read to her
.
With all the escaping there is no real closure
Spoiler; not even Hanna's suicide tells Michael what he should think, and instead increases the guilt he feels for his love and the baggage that goes with it
. It is forever a grey area, both emotionally and morally, as his troubled guilt derives from his past love, just as the German populace derives guilt from their past history.