This is the story of Michael Berg and his love for a woman named Hanna, set in Germany after WWII. Told in the first person, Michael recounts his affair with an older woman at the age of fifteen, and the profound effects of this relationship on his life. Years later he encounters her again when she is on trial for war crimes, and their relationship continues in an unusual sense as Michael discovers the secret that Hanna is most determined to cover up. This is a story of love, guilt, and shame, as well as the dilemma of an entire generation in post war Germany.
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Read the First 3 Chapters Online
Randomhouse Reading Group Guide - spark some discussion in your reading group with these thought provoking questions.
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Interview with Bernhard Schlink - 1997 intervie with Beatrice.com
Quotes from the book - part of the Book Venue Quotations collection

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Discussion (Let us know what you think at the discussion board):

In a novel so suffused with guilt, how is Michael guilty? Does his narrative serve as a way of putting himself on trial? What verdict does he reach?

Why does Hanna do what she does at the end of the novel?

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Reader Reviews:

by Sharon (January 2001) I thought this was an intriguing book. Although I personally would not hail it as a masterpiece, I would recommend it. The writing style is simple and easy, and it tells a most unusual story. It opened my eyes to yet another aspect of WWII, and that is the dilemma of guilt and shame faced by German society and individuals after the war. It also makes a quite unexpected statement about the importance of literacy in our lives (hence the name), which I also liked.