Customer Reviews

Self's Deception

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A little known German writer who made a hit worldwide with The Reader, his Self novels do not dissapoint A great new character, very smart plots with human psychology and socio-political commentary all blended nicely.

Schlink's writing is brilliant and the wit, irony, and style are delightful. I found the characterizations deeply satisfying and this is certainly one of the most thoughtful mysteries I've read in years. A gifted writer and a wonderful book (Self's Punishment is a near second).

Crime novels - be they mystery, murder, suspense, thriller - require an interesting protagonist to work effectively. Indeed, sometimes the crime itself may take a backseat to the adventures and doings of the main character. Bernhard Schlink's new novel, Self's Deception, follow this route. It is Gerhard Self, the protagonist, who makes the story, and not the crime and certainly not the mystery. Self is introspective, ironic, slightly bitter but aware of himself in a world that is puzzling, historic, cultural, intellectual, mysterious, vapid, violent. Unfortunately this reliance on character is so strong in Self's Deception that the plot, that rambling, confused mess, suffers too much. Gerhard Self is an interesting enough fellow that he did not need a fairly average thriller plot on which to hang his cap, but because Schlink has seen fit to throw him in the midst of terrorism, murder and intrigue, that is what he has to do. Character, finally, takes a backstage to plot.

Gerhard Self was once a Nazi prosecutor, and is now a private investigator in his late sixties. He is calm under pressure, inward and introspective about almost everything, and seems to take more joy in the intellectual pursuits of his love than he does in his work. When he is hired to find Leo Salgar, the disappeared daughter of a powerful Bonn bureaucrat, Self instead wanders about having conversations, thinking about chess, drinking coffee and wondering about the world. But this is endearing, a wholly effective quality for a private eye to possess. The nature of his trade naturally requires lengthy periods of waiting and watching, sitting in cars drinking coffee for hours on end. Introspection is a natural 'curse' in this case, and Self indulges at every stage. Perhaps because he is interested in classical music, literature and the history of Germany post World War II, Self comes across as intelligent and charismatic. Indeed, following his thoughts often proves more entertaining than following the plot.

In true mystery style, Leo Salgar's story was not completely revealed by her father. On top of that, is the man who hired Self really her father at all? Self is paid staggering sums in quick succession to remain on the case, in envelopes that are unmarked. He is given a number that is always connected to an answering machine, and proves to be in the abandoned, rented shop of someone who seems to have no relation to Salgar at all. We are given false clues, true clues, red herrings, dead ends, bullets in lounges, philosophising, land rent advice, chess, a wedding, the list goes on. How much of all this applies to the plot? Not a great deal. How much applies to the main character? More, but still, there is a lot of superfluous information thrown at the reader. For instance one character, an ageing ladies man, has decided to marry. On the day of his wedding, he is stabbed by the brother of his soon to be wife. Later in hospital, he reveals to Self that he finds the idea of chasing women less desirable than before. Interesting, sure. Relevant? Not at all. This little vignette has no bearing whatsoever on the main plot, and comes towards the end of the novel, when the plot should be ratcheting up in intensity and suspense. It is little missteps like this which harm the novel more than help.

There are sixty-eight chapters spread over around three hundred and fifty pages. That comes to around five pages per chapter, which isn't much at all. Each chapter begins and ends a sequence of events, the result of which is that while reading, we are rushed along, racing through chapter after chapter of event, information, event, exposition, event. It is an exhaustive, unrewarding way to frame a story, because the reader is never allowed a chance to relax and enjoy the character. And, because Self is more important than the plot, we notice particularly just how much racing around to nowhere at all we are doing. On the rare occasion that the novel does slow down to allow us time with Self, it is completely enjoyable. If only Schlink had seen fit to expand, extend, enhance. Slow down, even. There are many little quirks of characters that pop up, only to disappear once the five pages of their chapter is done. Nagelsbach, the Chief Inspector friend of Self, is a hobbiest model maker, building miniature replicas of the great sculptures, and then architectural achievements, of European geniuses. '...his mission in life, to which he was going to devote his retirement, was to build a model of the Vatican. ...What could I tell him? That art was more a matter of creation than an attempt to portray reality? That in life the goal wasn't as important as the journey?' Self uses the quirks as a way to think on matters weighty. We can only wish that the author allowed himself the luxury of slowing down to further explore these surface thoughts, to create depth in what is an interesting character.

The climax of the novel comes about rather strangely. The short chapters and rapid fire pace are so confusing that by the end, it is unclear what is the problem, why there is a problem, and who is responsible. Self jumps in and out of jail, characters who were not a part of the plot suddenly loom large, characters who were a large part of the plot disappear. There doesn't seem to be a thread on which to hang the plot. The dénouement, similarly, is confusing and too short.

Schlink has wrapped a great character around a thriller without a plot. He should have either focused more upon Gerhard Self and less upon murders, terrorism and suspense, or made Self less interesting, and increased the thriller aspect. As it stands, we are left with a novel that does two things moderately well, but nothing excellently. Confusions, awkward jumping, horrible pacing, poor plotting and a wonderful character are the hallmarks of this game.

This is the second in the series of mysteries based on the German private eye Gerhard self by the author of The Reader, Bernhard Schlink. Though the second in the series, Self's Deception can be read independently without getting lost a maze of relationships already explored in the first book and continued here. Of course it is enjoyable seeing familiar characters again in a new story, however, and that enhanced my reading experience.

The German detective Gerhard Self is on another case, this time involving eco-terrorists, a map possibly showing locations of buried WWI ordnance, deceptions and double-crosses, and intrigue. A canny detective with good instincts, Self always follows the mystery, regardless of the parameters of his case or his client's wishes. While I found the book an enjoyable read and while I have become used to - and even appreciate - the style of writing that initially threw me off, I was left with an impression that there were some things that just did not work as well as I would have liked, at least for this reader.

First, let me say that the book is well written, with dry wit and a sense of irony. We feel as it we've gotten to know the detective Self and can be sympathetic with his condition and outlook. His friends are familiar, too, in turns charming and entertaining - if not always deserving of our sympathies. I don't find the vignettes of Self's friendships and relationships distracting as they rather serve to add depth and body to the character.

There is one relationship, however, that I found unconvincing: that of Self and the object of his initial investigation, Leonore Salger. Self takes an extraordinary risk abetting her flight from the law and a charge of terrorism after, as far as I can tell from the story, knowing her a stunningly short time and with little in the way of knowledge of her involvement in a crime in which people died. What amounted to me as a silly infatuation seemed an exceedingly improbable driver for his action. Perhaps I am being ungenerous, and I certainly may have misinterpreted the sequence; in any case, it was to ask too much of this reader to make sense of that particular relationship and stayed with me the rest of the story.

While I thought the plot was good, and there certainly were enjoyable twists and psychological turns, the path taken to get to the answers seemed unnecessarily labored. That, or perhaps once the outlines of the plot were revealed too much time was spent on confirmation or reconfirmation of same before moving on to a new element of the story.

So, did I enjoy the book? The answer is yes, I did, and I hope that any criticisms I may have will serve only to say that while I may not have liked the book as much as the first in the series, I still found it satisfying. It is also true that if I simply did not like it, I would have said so, rather than attempting a subjective critique subject, of course, to differences of opinion. (which is why it's always so much fun to compare notes with others who have read the same book, to get different perspectives and thoughts)

I'm on to reading the next in the series, Self's Murder, which I understand is, sadly, the last in the series.

Unwilling investigators are not very common in crime fiction, as far as I can tell, but Carlotto offers one example of the type. Another is Bernard Schlink, whose Self's Deception is the story of one man's principled search for a missing girl, although he suspects (and is soon proven right) that his generous patron has reasons other than familial concerns to locate her. Gerhard Self is a one-time Nazi prosecutor; now he is a middle-aged man struggling to decide whether or not to marry his younger girlfriend. He is an introspective man of principle, very thoughtful, mordant in his analysis. Such a man spends much of his time examining his own motives (and piling on the calories with rich food wherever he goes), and when he acts, by his own estimation, irrationally, it only serves to add richness to his own complexity. Meanwhile, there's a convoluted plot involving eco-terrorists and an American military base and frequent appearances of extraneous characters that do nothing to aid the plot, but do add to an overall atmosphere. This is a slow-paced story underneath a frenetic superstructure - short chapters, lots of information - good stuff.

Gerhard Self, former Nazi public prosector is now a 69 year old private detective. Haunted by his past, he spends his days waiting for a case to come his way while fending off emotional ties to his much younger girlfriend Brigitte. One day he receives a phone call from a German offical asking him to find his daughter who has not reregistered at the university.

This sets in motion a long, convoluted plot revolving around a student terrorist attack on an American military facility in Germany. By part two of the book I was no longer interestsed in the plot. I found Self a self-absorbed (pardon the pun) character who is morally bankrupt (not surprising for a former Nazi) who sees nothing wrong with helping a terrorist escape Germany.The funny thing is the writer doesn't seem to find anything wrong with it either.

His being enamored of the young, beautiful Leo, the daughter being sought, I found equally unpleasant given the poort treatment his loving girlfriend Brigitte receives from him.

In a good mystery the reader must engage with the main character on some level. I found myself to be unable to do this Self. Schlink's stunning novel, "The Reader" set me up for something greater than what was delivered here.

(First published in 1992, English translation in 2007)

Bernhard Schlink is a first-rate writer and observer of human nature, and there's no better combination for producing a first-rate detective novel. His private detective, Gerhard Self, is on the cusp of 70, served in the public prosecutor's office during World War II, and has survived Germany in the Cold War. Now, he has a young girlfriend with a young son, good friends, and a life as a peripatetic detective with interests.

Self is contacted by the father of a girl gone slightly missing--not heard of for some time, and perhaps just on an unannounced break from responsibility. Though the arrangements are a little unusual--payment by mail, no in-person meeting, and contact by answering machine--Self takes on the case and begins tracking down Leonore Salger. She is young, attractive, and Self is intrigued by the idea of her as much as by the fat sum of money her fathers offers him to find her.

In the course of looking for Leo Salger, Self discovers layers of deception, and some of them are of his own making. He is stubborn, smart, dogged and intuitive, all in the best tradition of the hard-boiled detective. He draws his friends into the investigation, protects those he loves, and constantly exposes himself to doubt and danger. There is deception on every side, and Self consents to be deceived at some points, and puts himself in harm's way to expose deception at others. Ultimately, he peels back every layer to come upon the truth. Only then does he find that in the truth there is still mystery.

Schlink is an accomplished writer of literary fiction as well as this third entry in the Self series. He draws characters in the American tradition of the detective novel, while at the same time shading them with the manners, surroundings, and feel of Germany in the twenty-first century. It's a fascinating read, hard to put down, a page turner in the best possible way: it makes you want to read the previous two and wait for the next in the series.

Armchair Interviews says: If you're looking for a well-written page turner that will have you signing up for more, try Self's Deception.