The Granddaughter

by: Bernhard Schlink

Goodreads Description:

From the bestselling author of The Reader, a striking exploration of the wounds of the past, told through the story of a German bookseller’s attempt to connect with his radicalized granddaughter.

It is only after the sudden death of his wife, Birgit, that Kaspar discovers the price she paid years earlier when she fled East Germany to join him: she had to abandon her baby. Shattered by grief, yet animated by a new hope, Kaspar closes up his bookshop in present day Berlin and sets off to find her lost child in the east.

His search leads him to a rural community of neo-Nazis, intent on reclaiming and settling ancestral lands to the East. Among them, Kaspar encounters Svenja, a woman whose eyes, hair, and even voice remind him of Birgit. Beside her is a red-haired, slouching, fifteen-year-old girl. His granddaughter? Their worlds could not be more different— an ideological gulf of mistrust yawns between them— but he is determined to accept her as his own.

More than twenty-five years after The Reader, Bernhard Schlink once again offers a masterfully gripping novel that powerfully probes the past’s role in contemporary life, transporting us from the divided Germany of the 1960s to modern day Australia, and asking what unites or separates us.

Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓 (very heavy though)

I saved this one for last because I absolutely loved The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. This was quite a serious book and rather bleak in sections! It gutted me. If you are expecting a loving family drama about a budding friendship between a Grandfather and his newfound Granddaughter, you may be disappointed. I had to put this book down a few times when I had read enough about conspiracy theorists and “skinhead” rhetoric. This was really heartbreaking in the same way Lolita was (minus the sex), but with perhaps some possible optimism in the ending…

Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓1/4

Bernhard Schlink, the author of this book also wrote The Reader, which I loved and am tormented by ’til this day. The writing and prose in this book are also wonderful, but I got a little lost at times. I learned a lot about post-Cold War and post “tearing down of the wall” Germany that I had not realized – Wow! If only for that reason, I recommend this book; but on top of that, the story is mesmerizing and heartbreaking. Kaspar is a character you will love for this good intentions and tru devotion to do the right thing. You will. hope for Sigrud, the granddaughter, to see more of Kaspar’s ways. You will ache for Svenja – her life has been very difficult and it is hard to cast blame. As for Leo, despicable. And Sigrud’s Dad – aggravating and despicable, but with a twisted sort of need to care for his family. It’s possible to get lost along the way in this one, but I definitely recommend it. You will hope for a happy ending.

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