Monday, May 11, 2020

The Weekend - By Bernhard Schlink


Henner, Ilse, Ulrich with his second wife and their daughter, Karin with her husband, Andreas, Margarete, Marko, Ferdinand, Christine and Jorg - the 13 of them meet on Friday evening at the country home of Christine and Margarete at Brandenburg. Old friends and lovers, a journalist, a vicar, a lawyer, a businessman, a teacher/writer, and the terrorist now reunite but this is not ordinary. After twenty four years Jorg a convicted murderer and terrorist has been released from prison on a pardon. As the weekend unfolds, old jelousies simmer, and unanswered questions surge to the fore. In the hope that at least one of them can help him, guide him back to life, Christine Jorg's sister, who had been a mother to him, gathers hisold friends. As the friends meet, Ilse is writing, about another friend, who's husband committed suicide or was it to break from family life and become a terrorist? Jorg who then contempt Jan's act, now said Jan was the best?

Bernhard Schlink in 'The Weekend', probes the shadowlands between guilt and redemption, present and past, experience and youth. In haunting prose he distils both the pain of a nation and the abiding possibility of hope. People get locked in their perceptions and ideas. Sometimes the world needs a shock to come to its senses. Among other things we get a sneek peak into who is a terrorist and why terrorism, how they are treated and what becomes of them, their family and dreams.

Started as 27th of 2020 but finished before MP; the 26th is half way through. So Unstoppable, gripping and quick, it took less than 24 hours to finish reading; as much as the book, loved the smell of it. Was looking for 'The Reader' By Bernhard Schlink, but 'The weekend' was very entertaining; ended up getting this. Hope to get hold of The Reader soon, as Dunja keep saying 'The Reader' is an excellent book. ( Will post her writing's in the next blog)

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