The Reader – Bernard Schlink - 1 August
This was a stimulating read which gave the group such a lot to discuss that we concentrated on discussing the book and the issues it raises for the whole session and could probably have continued for longer. Once again we had to take into consideration the issue of translation, and in this instance the film of the book which some readers had seen, and felt set out some of the aspects of the novel more explicitly and effectively than the book itself.
Although not especially long the book touches on a lot of big issues; its primary theme, astutely identified and summarised by one of our group, being how the rising generation address the legacy of WWII and the Holocaust on both the national and personal level at a time before the need for remembrance and responsibility were officially recognised and taught. We did not necessarily wholly agree that the author succeeds in what he appears to be attempting
We began by considering the initial relationship between the narrator and his lover Hanna. Hanna is 21 years his senior when they begin a sexual relationship, he is 15 (although she assumes that he is 17). While recognising that attitudes to sexual liaisons between adults and young adults would have been considerably different at the time this is set, the early 1950’s, and especially if the genders were reversed, many of us felt that this was an abusive relationship which damaged both participants, as the war has damaged both those who took an active part and the next generation. However, as we only ever have the narrator’s view point about the relationship it was unclear to us whether the author was implying that this was the case or leaving it for the reader to draw their own conclusions. The boy’s involvement with the older woman isn’t so much of a surprise, sex, and adolescent intensity of feeling – he thinks that he loves her – Hanna’s involvement with him is somewhat harder to fathom. Although Hanna is living a lonely and circumscribed life, as a result of both her (secret) illiteracy and her work as a camp guard, she has more to lose by getting involved with this boy and she struggled to cope with the intimacy of the relationship because she was hiding so much. Because of the rather emotionally bland tone of the narrator it sometimes seems as if both participants were at a similar level of emotional development even though at times there are signs of her attempting to retain a more adult role such as through the use of belittling pet names for him. However, we also recognised that people don’t necessarily behave rationally in relationships, and pet names may often seem disparaging, so it might be unreasonable to label this behaviour abusive. The metaphor being that while he was the rising generation who lived through the war years as children, and not as active participants, she is of the active and guilty generation who need to take responsibility and shoulder the blame for their actions.
Many of us struggled to entirely understand why Hanna continued to hide her biggest secret, illiteracy, so completely. She took on the role of a camp guard rather than reveal it, and left her job, as a tram conductor, and home when once again promotion would have revealed this, and ultimately takes the blame and a lengthy prison sentence because she can’t read. However, people are ashamed of such things and can be driven to extremes by attempts to cover up. This is also in keeping with the metaphorical nature of the story. Lack of acknowledgement and awareness of war crimes at the time, followed by attempts to disown and distance responsibility for them following the war, follows a similar pattern to Hanna’s dissimulation about her illiteracy. In failing to use the only defensive she might have she is also seen as beginning to take responsibility for the guilt which she bears both personally and metaphorically. Her journey to literacy during her time in prison, and her end also indicate her recognition, and by default her generation’s recognition of their responsibilities for the holocaust. The dead are always with her. The key question which Hanna asks at her trial is “What would you have done?” but we did feel that perhaps not enough was made of that.
The book left many of us somewhat disappointed by the lack of emotional depth, yet this deliberate tone can empower the reader to approach to the issues of guilt and responsibility, and complicity, remembrance and reparation with greater sensitivity and understanding than a more emotive approach might have allowed.
Reading is obviously a theme throughout this novel, self-referentially for us as readers, for Hanna, who had prisoners read to her when she was a camp guard, and for Michael who reads to her both when they are lovers and later on tape. Reading to someone is often associated with parents and children, reversing role perceptions in Michael and Hanna’s initial relationship where she is significantly older. Hanna’s comments about her listening show her to be an intelligently critical woman, as does her own reading when she finally overcomes her resistance to learning. Interestingly, many of the group had experiences beyond childhood of either being read to or reading to someone and all felt it was an interesting and enjoyable experience.
By Karen
Thursday 15 August 2019
"The Tottenham Outrage" by M.H.Baylis - July 2019
We didn't write a review for this one... I think the heat was eating our brains
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