If I were to describe The Reader in only a few words, I would call it beautifully simple. Bernhard Schlink's prose is sparse, but it is so powerful. He uses no extra adverbs or adjectives. There are no embellishments or flourishes. Schlink just lets the emotions tell the story, and the novel is better for it. Though The Reader is packed with emotion, you never seem to get hit by them. Micheal's narrative style never allows any emotion to spill through, and whether that's a good or bad thing I'll leave to you to decide. I do think it's interesting. It is hard to emotionally connect with any of the characters, but maybe that wasn't the purpose of this novel. The Reader does not try to sympathize or excuse. It just tries to understand. It is such a rare kind of book for this topic, one that tries to truly understand the horrors of the Holocaust and just who should be bearing the weight of the guilt. There is no definite answer, and that's okay. Schlink doesn't try to force one onto his audience. I could say so many other awesome and interesting things about The Reader, but I think I've hit all the important ones. Go and read.