The Weekend

"The Weekend" by Bernhard Schlink is a novel from the year 2000, which is surely not among the best-known works of this notable author. The weekend referred to in the title is the meeting of former comrades from a revolutionary group, the Red Army Faction, following the release from prison of their leader Jörg. It is an interesting book; on one side, there is the revolutionary idea linked to youth and the bourgeois maturity of some, and on the other, those who have remained trapped in that utopia. The revolution implies that the death of innocents is justified; some would call it collateral damage, and whether prison is sufficient payment for those acts raises questions about guilt or innocence. It is a very interesting book that invites reflection. "The Weekend" and "The Return," both by Bernhard Schlink, are books that deserve to be read. (Translated from Spanish)

Early on I thought this wasn't going to work - some of the initial exposition was a little awkward, and there seemed too many characters for a fairly short book. But about a third of the way through it really took off, the diverse voices and reactions of his old friends and their children came to life very well. The ideological and historical aspects of the story are nicely balanced with the impact that what happened, and the time since, has had on the characters connected with it. I'm interested in the topic so came to this wanting to like it, but it didn't disappoint.

How does a terrorist deal with being released from prison back into the very society that he tried to destroy? How do his friends and relatives respond to him as a convicted murderer? This is the scenario that Bernhard Schlink posits in his new novel, The Weekend. Jorg has spent the last two decades in prison, convicted for acts of terror that cost four people their lives. He has petitioned the state for early release and has been pardoned. His sister Christiane meets him upon his release and takes him to the rural retreat that she shares with her companion Margarete. Invited to share Jorg's first weekend of freedom are friends who had shared Jorg's zeal for revolution back in the day, but whose passion never translated into action and who have since made lives for themselves within the bougeois, capitalist society that as young people they had deplored. Schlink has created a brittle drama in which many questions remain unanswered and little is resolved. Questions and recriminations fly back and forth, but it turns out that the motives behind people's actions are often selfishly human and, thus, deeply flawed. The Weekend is a potent and eloquent exploration of guilt and moral responsibility. Jorg's acceptance of a small role for himself within society is in many ways a triumph. But we can only wonder if he is trying to prove to people that he is worthy of the faith they have placed in him, or if he is hiding from his past crimes.

I think this book was a discussion about how life doesn't turn out the way you dream about when you are young. Jorg, the recently released (after 20+ years) from jail terrorist has not revised his revolutionary views and they are held in contrast to contemporary thinking of his former comrades. The surprise arrival further challenges them against the times and with the new generations response. The point for me was not the right/wrong of the actions but the datedness of the thinking, as perhaps is all our un-evolved hopes for our future - and the reasons we find we do not achieve our youthful goals.

Schlink gives time for most of the older characters to contrast their contemporary lives against their younger beliefs - again, at times using younger characters as a reference point.

I really enjoyed this book, it's slim but packed and I imagine will be re-read.

I am unsure what to think. The themes of responsibility and revolutionary ethics should have been of natural interest to me, but somehow I found the treatment bland and superficial. I expected to be troubled or surprised... and never was. Perhaps what Schlink wanted to say is that former terrorists and activists are as boring and bored as regular people? They become less than they had hoped to become, unless maybe they die in the act.

Karin's admonition to Marko makes a key point: "...moreI am unsure what to think. The themes of responsibility and revolutionary ethics should have been of natural interest to me, but somehow I found the treatment bland and superficial. I expected to be troubled or surprised... and never was. Perhaps what Schlink wanted to say is that former terrorists and activists are as boring and bored as regular people? They become less than they had hoped to become, unless maybe they die in the act.

Karin's admonition to Marko makes a key point: "You think Jörg is nothing if he isn't what he wanted to become? You think everyone who doesn't fulfill his hopes is nothing? Few people, in that case, are anything. I don't know anyone whose life has turned out as he dreamed it would." (p. 144) Perhaps this summarizes the book well.

I think Bernhard can explore more of the human condition in fewer pages then any writer. I really enjoyed this book, because it did explore so much. mainly coming to grips with seeing that our lives did't turn out the way we dreamed

The Weekend By Bernhard Schlink Jorg, a convicted terrorist is pardoned and released from prison after being away for 24 years. His sister Christianne arranges a weekend in her country estate with old friends to welcome and ease Jorg back to society and everyday life. The small group varies with college and childhood friends, most revealing little or no sympathy and attending simply to assist Christianne. They feel Jorg has no remorse for his actions and despise his continuous revolutionary theories. There are a few small relationships of interest and a strong, nearly incestuous one between Jorg and Christianne. They are an interesting cast, the writing is impeccable but the reader only catches a small glimpse into their lives.