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The Reader→The Reader
Bernhard Schlink·2008·Director: Stephen Daldry
89%
Faithfulness
3.5
Book Rating
3.8
Movie Rating
Platform: Prime Video
Cast information unavailable
The Book
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar Germany. "A formally beautiful, disturbing and finally morally devastating novel." —Los Angeles Times When he falls ill on his way home from school, fifteen-year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. In time she becomes his lover—then she inexplicably disappears. When Michael next sees her, he is a young law student, and she is on trial for a hideous crime. As he watches her refuse to defend her innocence, Michael gradually realizes that Hanna may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder.
The Film
The Reader is a novel by German law professor and judge Bernhard Schlink, published in 1995. The story is a parable dealing with the difficulties post-war German generations have had comprehending the Holocaust; Ruth Franklin writes that it was aimed specifically at the generation Bertolt Brecht called the Nachgeborenen. Like other novels in the genre of Vergangenheitsbewältigung, The Reader explores how the post-war generations should approach the generation that took part in, or witnessed, the atrocities. These are the questions at the heart of Holocaust literature in the late 20th and early 21st century, as the victims and witnesses died and living memory was fading.
Key Differences
Character development differs between book and film. Some subplots were condensed for screen adaptation. Visual interpretation brings new perspective to the story.
Our Verdict
Read the book firstThe book provides essential context and depth that enhances the viewing experience.
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