A Special Edition of The Reader by Bernhard Schlink to celebrate Orion's 20th anniversary.
One of my favourite books of 1998, the sort that, on completion, leaves you stunned and really does stay with you for – well, in my case – years as it was 10 years ago that I read it. That sensation of admiration is still with me. Clever, beautifully written, short, stark and hard-hitting, it is a tale of sex, guilt and shame with the holocaust raising its ugly head in an original and alarming way.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Win a Copy of The Sisters of Hope Square by Faith Hogan and a Bucket List Scratch Book
Closing date: 04/07/2026
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 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.
"A formally beautiful, disturbing and finally morally devastating novel." -Los Angeles Times
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.
The Reader features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Book Club Recommendations, eBooks of the Month, Fiction in translation, General Fiction, Fiction, Recommendations, Fiction: special features
The Reader is available in Paperback
The Reader was written by Bernhard Schlink and published by Vintage Books an imprint of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
The Reader has 224 pages
Yes it is part of Vintage International series