The probing, potent and personal WWII tale receives a suitably powerful reading
A potent novel like The Reader needs a solid narrative talent to render its emotional depths. Actor and voice artist Campbell Scott is an excellent match for the material. His sonorous, soothing voice brings a balance of integrity, intensity and momentum to the work. From the beginning, as 15-year-old West German Michael Berg is rescued by Frau Hanna Schmitz when he falls ill on the way home from school, to his excruciating moments sitting in a courtroom as Hanna stands trial for war crimes, Scott conveys the doubt that suffuses Berg's soul. Could Hanna really be the same person who so generously came to his aid? Who, over time, encouraged the awakening of his sexuality (even if she never reciprocated the love he felt for her)? Though countless books have been written about the atrocities of World War II, Bernhard Schlink's work probes the horrors on a very personal level, as Michael comes face-to-face with the realities of Hanna's past. Her cruel actions stand in sharp contrast to the tender moments she shares with her young lover. While the feature film adaptation of The Reader starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes may allow readers to put images to Schlink's words, Scott's audiobook narration is powerful and evocative in its own right.