The Book Thief

The Book Thief

For some reason this marvelous and compelling work of fiction is labeled as Young Adult. The topic certainly isn't, as the other books of Zusak are. It takes a few pages to get into the author's style, but after you arrive, the journey and characters are unforgettable. I have recommended this book to everyone who has ears.

This book is not the typical WWII memoir. Because it is told from such a fresh and new perspective, it is able to shine a light on the third side of the war: the civilian side. Since most of the focus on WWII is on the Holocaust or the actual warfront, it is great to see the war from a "normal" persons view and how it affected their daily life. This is truly one of the most intriguing books I've ever read, and the irony that fills each page is unbelievable. Overall, an AMAZING read

I really didn't know what I was getting into when I bought this book based solely on the buzz I was hearing about it. I had heard it was set in WWII Germany and the narrator was Death. With that very small introduction, I dove into the book.

Writing Style
For the most part, I really enjoyed the writing style.

The descriptions were vivid and gripping. The language was fluid and natural while also being engrossing and emotional. I often felt very connected to Liesel and her community.

Having Death as narrator provided a non-human view to the grotesque inhumanity that was World War II. Death has a sacrilegious, sarcastic and cynical tone to many of his comments, but his voice is also dripping with sincerity and depth.

My main complaint is that death had no sense of tension or foreshadowing. Far too often I found myself reading with some anxiety or curiosity only to have Death comment on it by telling me exactly what was going to happen in a few months or years to finalize the drama of the situation. At other times, the thought of possible conflict/drama/disaster hadn't even crossed my mind when Death brings up the possibility and immediately tells me how it's going to end. I would have much preferred a bit of solid foreshadowing rather than explicitly telling me the future.

From an authorial standpoint, I suspect the author had Death explicitly diffuse the drama in an effort to keep the book more light hearted despite the heavy overtones. Still, there are things I would rather have experienced in their due course along with Liesel rather than already knowing the outcome.

Characters
The characters are amazingly full and exciting. Zusak really fleshes out the characters through many very simple means. He provides us a ton of small, intriguing quirks that make each character vivid and real. Papa is the accordian playing, cigarette rolling house painter with a ton of compassion. Mama is the large foul mouthed deep snoring woman who stands by her family no matter what. Rudy is the kid who paints himself black and runs around the track like Jesse Owens while commentating his own race. And the Liesel is the hurt, confused, lover of words trying to find her place in the world.

And then, there's the narrator...Death. We don't learn much about the physicality of Death, but we learn a great deal about his perceptions of life, earth, and humanity in general. Death is a very vivid character and is used very well to turn a mirror on our own lives and make us think about our behaviors and attitudes.

Plot/Pacing/etc
As alluded to, the plot of the book is heavy and difficult as is understandable considering the setting. Still, things are kept light thanks largely to the narrative style and to Liesel's overarching power to overcome and persevere despite the darkest situations.

There were a couple of times where I was briefly confused as to where I was and where I was going within the plot. For example, the first time we meet Max, I was thrown completely off balance and read that initial page/introduction a couple of times to make sure I didn't miss anything. I was quickly set back on track, but I was still confused for a moment. That was one time that I felt the narrator didn't tell the reader enough about what was going on as opposed to telling us too much.

It was also refreshing to find the story taking paths differently than I anticipated. Without spoiling the plot of the book, I will just say that there were many times I expected stereotypical WWII style occurrences and was strangely and pleasantly surprised when things turned out differently.

Overall
As I mentioned, I went into this book largely blind based solely on some good buzz. And I came away anything but disappointed. In fact, this is one of the better books I've read this year. The story was refreshing (yes, some will tell you that it is a depressing story...and to an extent, they're right...but the tone is light enough to counter the dark material). The narrative voice was honest and thought provoking. The characters were real and engaging. This is one of those books that I'll remember and think about for years to come.

3.5 stars
****

I was initially intrigued by the idea of death recounting the story of the little girl known as the "book thief." That is what drew me to this book.

I don't read many novels anymore, but when I do, I hope to find something entertaining. Or perhaps it could offer a refreshing new style (e.g. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). Ideally, I also want to learn something new about the world around me, such as a historical period, a certain culture, or the human condition.

I found the plot of The Book Thief engrossing. The mind boggling cruelty that humanity inflicts upon itself is well articulated here -- so is the saving grace of friendship and love.

As for the style, it is quite original, but there are also points where descriptions are too long and far removed from any obvious meaning or emotion. In such instances, a reader like myself is apt to skip over countless paragraphs. No big deal, but still, I kept thinking "why be so wordy?" This book could have been edited to far fewer than 576 pages without sacrificing the depth of the storyline.

Beyond the style, The Book Thief offered a refreshing perspective: that of ordinary German citizens during the Hitler regime. Countless books have been written about the atrocities of the holocaust, but here we also get to glimpse the trials and tribulations many Germans had to endure. This was the part of the book I was most glad to discover.

All in all, an entertaining, although quite depressing, read.

I read this book based on a friend's recommendation and I absolutely loved it. Zusak's style of writing, I found, was incredibly original. A definite page turner. I can't believe that people found this book to be confusing -- maybe out of the ordinary, but that was the beauty of it. A definite must read for adults.