A teenage boy named Michael is befriended by Hanna, a mysterious older married woman. Years later as a law student, he attends a criminal trial in which Hanna stands accused. What emerges is not only Hanna's terrible crime, but an even more dire secret that involves Michael himself. A New York Times Notable Book for 1997.

"Schlink's daring fusion of 19th-century post-romantic, post-fairy-tale models with the awful history of the 20th-century makes for a moving, suggestive and ultimately hopeful work."             -- Suzanne Ruta

"[T]his is a gripping psychological study that moves skillfully toward its surprising and moving conclusion."

"The best novel I read this year....An unforgettable short tale about love, horror and mercy in Germany before and after 1945. Word of mouth about this novel ran all over Europe before the publicity machine caught up."         -- Neil Ascherson

"Schlink tells this story with marvellous directness and simplicity, his writing stripped bare of any of the standard gimmicks of dramatization."             -- Richard Bernstein

"Part of the artistry of this novel lies in its limpid, understated realism, the tangible details....The integrity of 'The Reader' lies with the narrator's refusal to assign blame according to initial, obvious interpretation; indeed, as the novel develops, its theme becomes the always-shifting landscape of guilt and shame."          -- Kai Maristed