The Reader

::some slight spoilers in the summary::

There are two parts of this book.

The first part is set in post-war Germany, with 15-year old Michael Berg walking home from school. Suddenly, he becomes ill. 36-year old Hanna Schmitz takes him home, aids him, and takes care of him. When he recovers from his sickness, he returns back home, only to find himself wanting to see Hanna again to thank her. So he does, and finds himself falling in love with her. And so this mature, sexual, love affair begins. And then one day, out of nowhere, Hanna Schmitz vanishes without a goodbye. Michael is left waiting and hoping, crushed by his first love.

The second part is when he grows older and is a law student. He sees Hanna again for the first time since they separated in a very unexpected circumstance and situation; in the court room with Hanna convicted as a criminal. Still trying to figure out why she left, he is boggled by his emotions that longed for this reunion, and his mind, that longed for the truth, only to uncover Hanna’s deeper and darker secrets.

I’m sorry if the summary is quite long. I even had to edit some sentences out because I wanted to keep talking about it. Needless to say, I liked this book a lot.

It was so intriguing and mysterious, as well as endearing. You can’t help but wonder if there are relationships like this that exist to this day, and I’m pretty sure there is.

It is a bit sad though, knowing that some people are still stuck in the past and can never manage to fully move on. The young, innocent boy just never moved on.

The whole book was just so well-written, and so emotional that you can not help but feel for the characters. I particularly liked how smart and straight-forward the author’s writing is. No questions asked, no plot holes left. Just an excellent woven story that will stay in your head until later, making you reflect about what love should really be about and what or who we should live our lives for.

*I have not watched the movie, unfortunately. Personally, I’m a fan of Kate Winslet and can picture her playing the character of Hanna so well. I just can’t wait for it to get out on DVD so I can finally catch it.

Those Who Save Us

I will tell you now, this is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It’s considered as contemporary fiction, but I feel it is more of a historical literary thriller.

Those Who Save Us gives us a new perspective of the Holocaust, this time from two damaged German women; the mother and the daughter. Although this book is narrated mainly by Anna, the daughter, we also find out about her mother and her past as well. The book goes deeper into their experiences as civilians from the other side of the tracks, as they helplessly watch the crimes against the Jews and at the same time, ensuring that they themselves are out of danger.

This book asks you the question, “What if?” all throughout. I enjoyed the fact that it gave us a different outlook on the German civilians as well as the Holocaust itself, being seen from the eyes of women in very different ages.

It is very sad of course, considering the subject matter, and it is depressing as it is powerful. It is very well-written, and found myself in those two days that I read it, awake at 2am wanting to sleep but can not, because I wanted to finish it. Heartbreaking, insightful, disturbing, haunting, so full of life AND death. It is such a beautiful story, and may I say, very brave for the author to go in such depth on a still-touchy subject.

I loved this book, because not only was it wonderful as I was reading it. It was very inspirational, even causing you to have at least a moment of reflection. After I finished reading it, I immediately told my sister to read this (being the bookworm that she is like me) and she loved it too.

Definitely 10/10. Please read this book, it is just good. Period.

Suite Francaise

A book containing two narratives; one fiction, one factual explaining how the fiction part came about. This is about life in France, when the Germans and Hitler were invading Paris around the 40’s. It goes in depth about what the French civilians go through, from children to adults.

This book is chilling at its very best, its descriptions so realistic that even I had trouble trying to imagine what these characters, these real people, must have felt. The narratives are so strong; every word essential to build this masterpiece of a book.

I don’t think Suite Francaise is a very popular novel exactly, and I feel it does not get the credit it deserves. I feel that once you give it a try, you would feel as astounded as I did when I first read it. It’s a book I definitely recommend. Great writing.