The Book Thief
By: Mark Zusak
576 pages
Published in 2007
Looking at my goodreads account, it appears that I might be
the last person in the world to read this book, so perhaps there is no one in
the world left to care about my review. But just in case...this one is for you!
Summary:
Where to begin? It's a simple story really, about a very
complicated time. I should begin by mentioning that it is narrated by Death,
who has a very different perspective on the tragedy of dying. Death is tired,
and senses that the more he interacts with humans, the less he understands
them. He says that he often overestimates humanity, that he often
underestimates humanity, but that he rarely estimates it. The last sentence of
the book is, "I am haunted by humans."
On the course of Death's journey, he picked up a book
written by The Book Thief about her life and her experiences. He uses that book
as a reference for telling her story, and he makes particular mention of his
own memories of her life--times when she has brushed against Death's world.
The book thief is a foster child named Liesel living in Mochling, Germany
during World War II. Unable to read, Liesel is the last person in the world I
would have expected to become a book thief. But although she cannot read in the
beginning of the book, and although the process of learning to read is painful
and slow, Liesel senses the innate power of words to transform her brutal life.
The Book Thief is not only Liesel's story. It is the story of her foster
parents, her best friend Rudy, and a Jewish man named Max.
Review:
A review for The Book Thief in the School Library Journal
says, "Zusak not only creates a
mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing
readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them
forward.
" I couldn't have said it better myself. The story of The
Book Thief is a simple one--probably simple enough to have been a much shorter
book. But the narration is phenomenal, pulling us out to see the bigger picture
and then pulling us back in to Liesel's life. It's been such a long time since
I found a book written so lyrically that was also action-packed enough to keep
my reading.
Death doesn't
have any sense of mystery--as an omniscient narrator he often blurts out what
is going to happen hundreds of pages from where you are reading, or five pages
from where you are reading. In some ways I appreciated that, because I'm not
usually a fan of tragedy, and it gave me time to get prepared. It is a tragic
book--was there anyone living in Germany during World War II whose
life was not tragic?
The best reason
to read this book is the characters. They are amazing; heroic and simple,
complicated and human, all at the same time. Hans, Liesel's stepfather, is
definitely the hero of the story, with Rudy, Liesel's best friend and partner
in crime coming a close second.
Don't be fooled
by the crazy way publishers choose to market their books. If the book is about
a teenager, it is placed in the young adult section. This book is definitely
written for adults, not teenagers, though as with many books, there is a
certain sophisticated subset of teenagers who might enjoy this book a lot.
As you are
deciding whether or not this book is for you, picture me sitting in my family
room, crying (almost keening, really) for the last twenty pages or so. My
younger children are all sitting around me, rubbing my arm and cuddling into
me, because they don't often see me reading SAD STUFF. It was worth it though.
Melanie gives this book 5/5 stars
