Book Review: The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
5 out of 5 stars
Ronny Dosanjh
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Liesel Meminger’s world is turned upside-down after witnessing the death of her brother on a journey to meet her new foster parents. Her love affair with books and reading stems from an initial act of thievery that occurs at her brother’s funeral. It is at this point that the endearing story of the Book Thief begins. With obvious trepidation, Liesel enters the sleepy town of
Her real adventures, though, are to be had with a boy named Rudy with whom she shares many escapades including stealing food and fruit during the hard times of war. Her thirst for the written word also sees her thievery extend to the library at the Mayor’s house. She is aided by the willing Rudy. The great joy of this book is seeing her relationships with Rudy and her foster father blossom. Hans takes it upon himself to teach Liesel to read and write during the oppressive times of Nazi rule.
Hans’ obvious disdain for the Nazi party and civil disobedience has grave consequences. He is shunned from society and his family is placed in great peril. The danger is never more apparent than when a Jewish refuge named Max shows up at his door, and the Hubermanns hide him in their basement.
Harboring Max brings a constant feeling of tension for a large part of the narrative which, coupled with fleeting glimpses of joy that Liesel provides Max by reading stories and weather reports, makes their growing friendship even more touching.
Markus Zusak does a superb job of conveying the horrors and atrocities of war and translating them through the daily lives of the people of Molching. Never before have I, as a reader, been so invested and felt such an affinity for the central characters and their plight.
Zusak’s simplistic writing style with its short punchy chapters allows the reader to follow the central thread of the plot without distraction. One unique thing about the narrative is that it is told from the point of view of death. It is certainly an interesting and ambitious perspective on the unfolding events, and one that Zusak makes work. Death, through his narration, is portrayed as an overworked, ruthless but somehow compassionate being. Another feature of Zusak’s writing is the interspersed plot revelations, often pertaining to the demise of certain characters, before the events actually transpire. The foreshadowing serves to cushion the blow for the reader when events take a disheartening turn.
This book is an instant classic, and should be mandatory reading for adolescents and adults alike.