Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Old Friends and Terrorists
Title: The Weekend
By: Bernhard Schlink
On the face, The Weekend is a novel about a reunion at an isolated German estate of old friends who haven't seen each other for years. They are brought together to greet Jorg who has been in prison for 24 years for unspecified acts of terror. Each guest has a different view of terrorism, freedom, and friendship. They discuss the past and the acts of political terrorism that led to Jorg's imprisonment as well a acts of terror (particularly 9/11) that occurred more recently. The deeper you get into the novel, you realize that it is more about the philosophy of terror and how it affects people - the terrorists, the terrorized, and the bystanders. The narrator of this audiobook brings great nuance and understanding to all the characters. The book is translated from the original German and I found the parts about 9/11 particularly compelling.
View similarly tagged posts: fiction, audiobook
Posted on Oct. 12, 2011 at 2:01 a.m.
