The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Summary:

Set in 1939 Nazi Germany, Liesel Merminger is placed in a foster home during what is already trying times. Her only comfort is the things she manages to steal for herself, most notable of which are books. With a Jewish man in her basement and increasingly regular bomb raids, she finds books may be a comfort to others as well.

My Thoughts:

I’ve heard many people say this is one of their favorite books. Some even read it in school but this was never a book that my school had as required reading. Immediately, I thought this book was definitely different because death itself is the narrator for the book and death follows the life of a girl, Leisel, who at a young age experienced death and abandonment. 

Now past that point, I found it hard to to be interested in the story. The first 200 pages are about her life on Himmel St in Munich Germany. The story is set during World War II so it’s not an easy life but besides that I had no idea where the book was going.

Obviously given the title of the book, she is referred to as the book thief by death and you witness her steal books at certain key moments in her life. Her foster father helps her to learn to read the books and she continues to look for opportunities to steal more and learn more. 

I think one of the main reasons you, as the reader, are drawn to continue reading is that Death continues to hint at what’s to come. You get the feeling a horrible tragedy will occur and you won’t know who survives.

Max, a Jewish man, officially enters about 150 or so pages in the story to collect on a debt Hans, Liesel’s foster father, owed to Max’s family. He collects by asking for refuge in their basement. Both Hans and his wife agree and do what they can to be accommodating. Leisel is confused about this stranger but grows accustomed to his presence and he eventually becomes one of the people closes to her.

Now, before Max, Leisel did not really understand what the war was about or what Hitler had done. She had only been taught to obey and not question his rule. The author, through Death, has an almost poetic way of making you realize the horrors and the struggles people succumbed to and endured during the war.

Everything comes together at the climax of the war. All of the details, the hints, and the stories start to come together in the last 100 or so pages. Everything is drawing in, Hitler is desperate, people are called to war. There are more bombings, air raids, and loss all around. It all leads to the one day that Death has been alluding to all along. You suspect throughout the entire book that someone will die. In the end, I daresay it’s quite a shock how things turn out.

By the end, the story is complete and it becomes clear why Death refers to her as the book thief and why he carries a book. The ending is almost beautiful in that the author gave you a finale to a story but also made you see that you were taken on the entire journey of someone’s life.

Would I recommend this book? Yes I would. But I would do so with more than just a hint of caution. It’s not for everyone. It’s beautifully written and a good story but you really have to commit to it. Does that make the book better or worse? I honestly cannot say. Overall, I read the story for anyone who is on the fence about reading the book.