Book Review Time!

My most recent conquest was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. While this is an expected choice for me, it is historical fiction - my favorite genre, the way the story is told is unique. Death is the narrator. Yes, Death. This seems to be an odd choice until you know the story is set in Nazi Germany during World War II. Suddenly the choice of narrator goes from strange to intriguing.

Death tells the story of a young girl named Liesel Memminger. The story opens with Liesel and her brother being sent to live with foster parents (we never find out why) in Munich. On the train her brother dies and Liesel has to go live with strangers all alone. It turns out she does not end up in Munich proper, but in Molching. Molching is a poorer area and the Hubermanns live in the poor area of town. Hans and Rosa Hubermann are her foster parents. Rosa is described as being a wardrobe of a woman while Hans is described as having silver eyes. The evolution of the relationship between the Hubermanns and Liesel is heartwarming. I truly felt connected with every character in this story.

Zusak assumes we all have a basic understanding of World War II. He really does not delve into the military aspects of the conflict. He focuses on the lives that could have been lived at that time. His characters unfold beautifully while he advances the plot steadily. He explores the harships of rationing. The wrath of the Nazi leadership. The terror of air raids. Zusak is able to maintain suspense while revealing elements of the story at unexpected times. He also tackles an unconventional topic: words. The importance of words in our modern world. The way words can be used both positively and negatively. The prose in the novel is beautiful. The images Zusak created are vivid and real. He uses contrast to drive home his points. It is an incredibly well written book.

I truly enjoyed The Book Thief. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something different to read. I hope this review comes close to doing the work justice. However I feel I have not. Hopefully you will read it and find out for yourself.