The Book Thief

The Book Thief
By: Markus Zusak

This was a really great read. I think I will find another Zusak book. I really liked his writing style and descriptions. (My one qualm with this book is stated at the end of this review.) His words are beautiful, especially in such a heavy story. Every story I read about WWII offers a new layer, perspective, color, and emotion to that time, and this one was no different.

A struggling girl in Germany, no stranger to pain and destruction, recognizes and is strengthened by the power of words. Yes, words can hoist an executioner to rule, but they can also heal, sustain, warm, and tear us apart in the best way. Here are some words from the book thief:

"The fire was nothing but a funeral of smoke."

“The words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain.”

"I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that's where they begin. Their great skill is their capacity to escalate."

"Two giant words were struggled with, carried on her shoulder, and dropped as a bungling pair at Ilsa Hermann's feet. They fell off sideways as the girl veered with them and could no longer sustain their weight. Together, they sat on the floor, large and loud and clumsy. I'm sorry."

Yes, you should read this book. It was surprisingly a fast read for over 500 pages.

The one thing I did not like about this book, was the commentary and narration of 'Death' as a personified being. To the author, maybe that was a profound aspect to the story, but for me, I did not find it helpful. Death is not the end all, be all, and I don't really care what Death thinks or feels. It has no power. There is life and there is eternity, but how we meet death is not worth describing, even if it is the sky. Plus, Death kind of ruined a lot of the mystery. He kept telling us things that would happen and then digressing, saying he was getting ahead of himself. If I'm going to read this event in a few pages, I don't want a preview of it. Also, Death, I don't really think a sense of humor looks good on you. Your presence on this Earth is actually quite minute and inconsequential. An unidentified narrator could have pulled off the same effect in this book.

After all that, though, the Book Thief is a worthy story. Read it.