The questions Schlink examines are often provoked by current conflicts: the debate surrounding the Christian crucifix and Muslim headscarves in schools, stem cell and embryonic research, the threat to human dignity posed by the battle against crime and terrorism. Other questions find their roots in literary and Biblical texts: in the poetry of Heinrich Heine, the novels of Hans Fallada, Imre Kertész, Pat Barker and Jeffrey Eugenides, the story of Jacob's struggle on the Jabbok, the narrative of Pentecost. In his treatment of these questions, Schlink verifies his standpoint. Writing as both a novelist and a lawyer, his prose is never legally abstract in discussing the law and justice, all the while retaining its narrative force when dealing with politics, the economy, literature or the Church. His writing is refreshingly clear, accessible and vivid.