Homecoming

Starred review from October 15, 2007
Schlink’s first novel, The Reader
(1997), became a U.S. bestseller after it was an Oprah pick. That book, and his next, a short story collection, raised moral questions about Germany right after WWII; his latest, following two crime novels, takes up that line of inquiry and may be his most powerful and disquieting. The title refers to a pulp novel discovered in fragments by the narrator, Peter Debauer, and to Debauer’s quest to find the book’s pseudonymous author, who seems to have an uncanny knowledge of the conditions and landmarks of Debauer’s own youth in postwar Germany. This mysterious work, with similarities to The Odyssey
, offers tantalizing clues to a deeper mystery, that of the identity of Debauer’s father, reported dead after the war. Debauer’s youth, failed career and love life play out against authoritatively detailed scenes of Nazi degeneracy, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the stark differences between East and West Germany. As in his previous works, Schlink’s protagonist is a flawed character who elicits the reader’s understanding but not affection—until the poignant denouement.

March 31, 2008
Peter Dabauer's determined search for an author and the ending of a book marks the starting point for his own literary journey, but his answers yield only more questions in Schlink's new novel. Dabauer's life symbolically resembles the book's exploits while he is further befuddled by increasing discoveries about his own path and its connection to the potential author. Like all quests, his is not particularly linear and he is often interrupted by his own present-day tribulations. Paul Michael keeps readers enthralled with a soft and mellow voice that connects words and sentences fluidly. He instills Dabauer's first-person tone with a light Germanic accent, which personalizes Dabauer to listeners. Simultaneous release with the Pantheon hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 15, 2007).

In his quest to discover his family's history, protagonist Peter Debauer weaves a brilliant Proustian memoir evoking the small details of smells, taste, colors, and sounds of his last summer visit with his grandparents. Peter discovers a fragmented novel whose pseudonymous author seems familiar with aspects of Peter's own life in Germany after WWII, as well as the identity of his father. As secrets are revealed, moral issues relating to WWII come to the fore--a theme reminiscent of Schlink's earlier bestseller, THE READER. Paul Michael's subtle German accent and softened tones when speaking as a female lend the story credibility. Heim's graceful translation and dexterous use of English idioms keep characters and events clear as the novel spans the period from WWII to the fall of the Berlin Wall. A.W. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine