Book Review: The Book Thief

I picked up The Book Thief several months ago for a bargain price. I had heard from my boss that it was good and was quite excited to read it.


I decided to take it with me on my trip to Boise over the Christmas holiday. I started reading it Monday night at the airport while waiting for my flight. I continued reading once I was settled onto the plane.

It grabbed my attention from the get-go.


For those of you who don't know what this book is about, here's a brief synopsis:


The story takes place in Germany durning World War II. It is told from Death's perspective (as though Death is a character). The story is about a little girl named Liesel, who gets taken by her mother to live with foster parents in a town called Molching. On the journey, her younger brother dies. This tragedy haunts her for many years after. This is also the starting point of her book thievery.


The book then follows Liesel thru getting used to life in Molching (the town her foster parents live in). It shows how much she comes to love her foster father and how much he comes to care for her. You meet her best friend, Rudy, who thinks that he is Jesse Owens, the African-American runner who ticked off Hitler by winning races in the Berlin Olympics. And, you witness Liesel stealing other books.


Liesel's foster father takes a huge risk and hides a Jewish man (Max) in his basement. All because of a promise made to Max's mother after World War I. Liesel grows quite fond of Max and having him around.


This story truly fascinated me simply because I've read several books from Holocaust victims' standpoints, but never one where the protagonist was a German non-Jewish citizen just trying to live her life in the chaos that was WWII Germany.


I love Markus Zusak's (the author) writing style. He definitely paints a picture with his words.


I was asked several times last week, while reading it, "Isn't it depressing?" My response, "It takes place in WWII Germany. What do you think?" My real answer, though, is "Yes. It is depressing, but it's also surprisingly warm and it has moments of joy interspersed throughout."


The story says a lot about the human condition and how people react differently when placed into extreme circumstances. (Some handle it with as much grace as possible, while others crumble under the pressure.)


I definitely recommend picking this book up for a good read.