The March '09 Book: The Reader

by Bernhard Schlink...set in 1960's Germany...the retelling of a sickly boy's preoccupation with his new female friend and lover, an older woman with a secret past. I found the story compelling and the writing style unique for its perspective. The drama is found in subtle emotions that is not readily understood by everyone. The book was made into a major motion picture, of which I have not yet seen; I have some doubts as to how the movie adaptation could accurately reflect the different levels of experiences felt by the protagonist. The first half of the book is a series of accounts between the teenage boy and the much older woman; The second half of the book is more brutal in its assessment of how the now older boy observesation changes his outlook on life. What did you think of the book?