The Reader

This book has been out for at least 10 years,. I picked it up once in a book store and thumbed through it, came across a graphic sex scene and lost interest in the book, as affairs with 15 yr old boys leave me cold. However, recently an acquaintance recommended it, and also the fact that it had a movie made of it, made me reconsider and so i gave it a read.
It was a quick read for sure, I started it this morning and finished tonight and I did get other things done today.
The theme of the book was interesting , woman seduces a (willing) boy, they have prolonged affair, during which boy reads books to woman at her request, woman leaves, boy is heartbroken and convinced he was at fault. He however, with his manly experience under his belt continues through life confidently and successfully, and has nearly forgotten Hanna. Later while going through law school he attends a seminar, part of which involves going to court to witness the trial of 5 women accused of atrocities during the holocaust. You guessed it, one of the women is Hanna. He feels a mixture of guilt(I never quite know why) anger, betrayal, and a variety of other emotions, but continues to go to court each day it is in session. Hanna sees him there and looked directly at him one day, but otherwise ignores him. I won't divulge a key plot twist, only to say she is sentenced to life in prison.
Did i like the book? Hmmm, it was okay. I don't really like books that are translated, as this one was, as they stumble a bit, and don't flow smoothly ,in my opinion. It was enlightening for me, as I often wondered what happened in post war Germany and how the next generation dealt with the legacy of the holocaust, and their parents involvement/non involvement in it. The philosophical discussions between various characters were interesting and thought provoking, I guess, but did I LIKE it? would I recommend it? no, and no. It wouldn't have been a huge loss for me not to have read it. I liked Ursula Hegi's Stones From the River a great deal more, (It too was translated, I think) perhaps its the gratuitous pediatric sex that turned me off. Maybe I am a prude after all.