part 3

            Shockingly, the relationship between Hanna and Michael had much more of an impact on Michael’s life than I had expected. At first, I though Michael and Hanna were just having fun, but he truly was impacted by her affection. I guess maybe his young age did affect the way he perceived love, so I guess that makes Hanna even more of a predator than I had imagined. Even much later in his life, Michael is still so emotionally damaged by Hanna that he can’t seem to find an emotional connection even with his wife, Gertrud. Maybe Hanna taught Michael to concentrate only on the sexual aspect of relationships. He seems to only want sex from Gertrud and his partners after her. Initially, I did not believe Michael was genuinely in love with Hanna, but I guess if he is this affected, it must have been real.

            Michael seems to be an intelligent man, so I don’t know why he can’t see through Hanna’s malicious intentions. Not only was she careless towards his feelings, but she was also violent in the Holocaust with prisoners.

            One of the most unpredictable parts of the entire novel is when Hanna hangs herself on the day she is released from prison. Michael had done her many favors such as, getting her an apartment and job, so that when she is released she can transition nicely into society. But as usual, Hanna did a selfish deed, and killed herself.  

            Overall, I thought the book was mediocre. The writing itself was easy to comprehend; however, I really didn’t find that much depth in the material.