Markus Zusak's The Book Thief

Admittedly I watched the movie first with my parents before I even knew it was a book. It was only after googling I found out it was. Now that I’ve read the novel, I can say that without a doubt this is one of my favourite. Its special to me and the movie is also amazing, but it is different to the book.

The fact that the novel is narrated by the omnipresent form of Death is unusual. I have never read a book that has been narrated in this way. I found it odd at first but now I think it’s absolutely amazing and over the course of the book you almost forget that Death is the narrator until you suddenly remember, and everything changes. Death is fascinated by the colours of the world and the purity of humans. But he struggles throughout the novel to comprehend how humans can be capable of so much hate and violence and yet create so much beauty.

The story following young Liesel who steals a book from a grave digger right at the beginning of the novel. Liesel journeys to Molching where she is to be raised by foster parents. Over the course of the novel, Liesel learns so many valuable life lessons. She learns that life is full of dark and light moments, and even though the light is overshadowed by the dark, there is still good in everything. She also learns that when someone dies, there will always be someone there to help her through the pain. Her character development honestly makes me well up - Zusak has created an amazing character and I applaud him for that.

The street in which she lives on is bursting with interesting characters. Hans is her foster father who is the typical poor man in Nazi Germany. He is very kind, but his kindness highlights his stupidity. He gives a Jew in pure daylight some bread which highlights his kind heart (as it was an impulsive decision). He’s also a good father to Liesel as he teaches her to read and become more comfortable in her new life. I love their relationship, it honestly so sweet. As a reader you warm to his goodness and he feels like someone you’ve known forever. His wife Rosa is also nice, changing her behaviour when necessary, showing she knows her place in this society.

And then there’s lovable Rudy. The yellow-haired hopeful character is Liesel’s partner in crime. He idolises the athlete Jesse Owens and there’s an incident in the novel which highlights how valuable and pure a child’s dream is. I properly pitied him at the books end, he deserved a lot more than he got and this made me cry.

When I finished the book I was overwhelmed with multiple emotions. This is a masterpiece that had me on an emotional roller coaster. I’m glad it ended when it did, I know there is a desire for more (trust me I felt it) but honestly it ended exactly where it was supposed to.

The novel carries the timeless love for literature, for story, for escape. This novel highlights how literature not just a want, but is a need in peoples lives.

The Book Thief is an enchanting tale of youth, love, and the ability to dream. Although it is set in Nazi Germany, it doesn’t tell a story of doom and gloom, instead it tells one of hope. Despite it being a dark time in history, it was still bright for those willing to dream.