Bernhard Schlink

This was written as a work of fiction, but those in the “know” claim it was based off the female Nazi guard with the nickname “The Bitch of Buchenwald.” This book is disturbing on so many levels, even how it made me feel! Michael is 15 when he meets (by accident) 36 year old Hannah Schmitz who works for the transit company. They spend a blissful summer, mostly in bed. Hannah likes to be read to and Michael reads the classics to her. Michael has developed strong feelings for Hannah. show more Hannah leaves town and after a time of grieving we next see Michael in law school in Berlin sometime in the late 40's or early 50's. . His law class has been assigned to attend and watch a particular war crimes trial. Hannah Schmitz is a defendant and is sentenced to life imprisonment. Michael spends years taping books for Hannah and sending the cassettes to prison. I won’t go any further so as not to spoil. Hannah is not a likeable woman, nor should she be. I was heartbroken for Michael, but in all reality he was much better off without her. This book brings up all kind of moral dilemmas. This book will have me thinking about it about for a longggggggggg time. 204 pages 5 stars show less

This is a wonderful testimony to the ambiguities of life: can anyone be truly evil or good? On the one hand, Hannah, despite her illiteracy, is not an idiot nor could she have been blind to her actions. There must have been some streak of injustice that motivated her to take on the job of a guard to make up for her own situation. I don't think that she ever truly repented despite her end which came so late. On the other hand, she does face the consequences of her actions, thrown as she is as show more bait. Her handicap has stolen all control she has of her life.
As for Michael, he too, is thrown in the midst of uncertainty, unable as he is to reconcile himself with Hannah's image as a predator and his transformation from boy to youth under her tutelage.
This book is discomforting as it offers no answers but conveys a time where an entire country was seeking guilt, forgiveness and new beginnings. show less

Bernhard Schlink is best known for his 1997 novel The Reader, but I’ve enjoyed other of his books and so picked up The Granddaughter, his most recent offering.

Seventy-one-year-old Kaspar Wettner is a bookseller in Berlin grieving the death of his wife Birgit. When going through her papers, he discovers she had left behind a baby in East Berlin when she fled to West Germany. He decides to search for his stepdaughter Svenja and eventually finds her living in a rural community of Völkisch show more people – far-right, white supremacist nationalists. Svenja and her husband Björn have a daughter, 14-year-old Sigrun, who is an enthusiastic believer in far-right ideology. Kaspar manipulates her parents into allowing Sigrun to spend time with him, time he hopes he can use to broaden Sigrun’s worldview.

Kaspar is the grandfather most people would like to have. He is patient and tolerant. When he learns about Brigit’s daughter, he is determined to find her, and when he meets Sigrun, he is determined to establish a relationship with her. Liberal and progressive in his views, he finds Sigrun’s anti-Semitic, xenophobic, Holocaust denying comments offensive, but he admires her curiosity, strength, and loyalty. A cultured man, he takes her to concerts and introduces her to books she would not encounter in her insular world. When he discovers she has a talent for the piano, he pays for lessons. He takes her on a trip to broaden her horizons.

Of course, Kaspar has to tread carefully as he tries to correct Sigrun’s understanding of German history. Her parents certainly fear Kaspar’s influence because they insist on strict rules while she visits Kaspar: for example, she cannot wear jeans, use the internet, or go to the cinema. He doesn’t want to alienate them because they might deny him visitations. He is also afraid to contradict Sigrun too forcefully for fear that she herself might choose to end their relationship. This leaves him wondering if/how he can challenge her radical opinions.

It is not just Sigrun’s views which are challenged. Kaspar is forced to confront his prejudices. For instance, Sigrun draws attention to his attitude of superiority. He does not agree with how Sigrun has been parented, but he comes to understand the reasons for Svenja and Björn’s decisions regarding their daughter. Kaspar also has to acknowledge the complexities of German reunification which has not solved all the problems. Even Kaspar’s understanding of Birgit increases.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it. Readers who do not like ambiguous endings may not be satisfied by the novel’s partial resolution, but given the book’s subject matter, the ending is appropriate. Though the focus is political radicalization in Germany, I found the book timely: it made me consider the political radicalization so obvious in the U.S., especially following the most recent presidential election.

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I read this book 8 or 9 years ago, but just this week I watched the film made from the book and it all came back to me. Schlink did a nearly impossible hat trick in this story when he took a prison guard from one of the death camps and turned her into a sympathetic character. While it does not excuse the horrors of places like Auschwitz or the Holocaust, it once again affirms the power of good writing. And also the sadness and potential for evil that the problem of illiteracy can bring. The show more characters of Hannah and Michael are so clearly portrayed, and yet the mysteries of the human heart remain. This is an excellent book and should be read by future generations. show less