The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
The Book Thief is not quite like anything I have read before. This is the book I began reading at six in the morning during my staycation. It became a big part of the reason I stayed at home in my easy chair for most of my week off.
The story takes place in Nazi Germany and is narrated by Death (Death was busy in those years). If you’re looking for a happy story, inspiring heroism, or a fine romance, The Book Thief is not for you. If you’re willing to sit and look at difficult situations and imperfect lives, this book may be for you. If you have that willingness and a passion for words and books, this book is definitely for you.
Liesel Meminger is a young girl living in a foster home in Germany. Her career as a book thief begins after her brother’s funeral when she plucks a lost copy of The Grave Digger’s Handbook from the snow. Liesel’s kind foster father helps her read this odd book in the dark hours after her nightmares. We see her learning to read, learning the power of words and stories. Her career continues when she rescues a banned book—still smoldering—from a pyre at a Nazi book burning. Soon Liesel is climbing into the window of the mayor’s house to steal books—one at a time—from his library. A hidden Jew moves to temporary safety with the help of a copy of Mein Kampf, then uses the pages of that book to write his own story for Liesel. Later, in a basement bomb shelter, Liesel spontaneously begins reading from one of her books, soothing people’s fears. There is tragedy and confusion, violence and death. After all, this is a country at war.
You might expect a story narrated by Death to be macabre, bloodthirsty. I certainly did, which was why I actually put off starting this book for several weeks. Actually, Death in The Book Thief is often kind and gentle in the way he gathers up the souls of the recently departed. Death seems fascinated and confused by humans, sometimes disgusted by them and the way they keep him busy. Throughout the book, there is the sense that Death is floating through our world, watching us from his own unique perspective. To him, the air always has color and texture, almost as if it is alive. His descriptions were just enough to leave me feeling I was breathing Liesel’s air.
I won’t give away Liesel’s ending, but I will tell you I cried. Part of the power of a good story, so ably demonstrated in The Book Thief, is to make you love a character so much you will weep for her—no matter when or how Death finally comes.
-
Meta
