The Reader » (Unabridged)

Bernhard Schlink was born in Germany. He is the author of the internationally nest-selling novel The Reader, which was an Oprah's Book Club selection. He lives in Berlin and New York.

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.

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.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Los Angeles Times

A formally beautiful, disturbing and finally morally devastating novel. From the first page, [The Reader] enshares both heart and mind.