The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

2007

Oh my goodness. I had been waiting for this book from the library for a very long time. When I first started reading it I wasn't really a fan. I didn't like the narration style and it just wasn't my kind of story. So I read a couple other books I had borrowed, but since this has to be returned this week I thought that maybe I should finish it. And I am so glad that I did.

The Book Thief takes place in Germany during Hitler's reign. It's told from the perspective of Death, but the story is mainly about a young girl name Liesel. She and her brother get taken to a foster home, but her brother passes away on the train ride. He is taken off the train and is buried at a cemetery at the next station. That's where Liesel steals her first book (although she cannot read it). She makes it to her foster home and that's where the story gets interesting. Her foster father, Hans, plays the accordion and also teaches her to read in the middle of the night when her nightmares wake her up. Her foster mother Rosa does the laundry for several families in the town, including the mayor and his wife. This fact becomes important later on in the novel. Rudy is one of the next door neighbours and he is in love with Liesel, and obsessed with an American athlete named Jesse Owens.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but there are some things that just go along with being in Germany in the second world war. Liesel learns to read by candlelight, and eventually shares these stolen stories with her neighbours in the air raid shelters. Her family also hides a Jewish man in their basement, and Liesel shares her stories with him and vice versa.

Once you get past the strange narration voice, the story is fantastic. It is by no means a happy-feel-good book (in fact I was a little bit upset by the end), but it is a story worth reading. The characters are well described and you start to really feel for them, and want only the best for them. Once you find out more about the man hidden in the basement, you really want to know a lot more about his story.

I think I had heard this book from YouTube (probably in a John Green video). I usually take his recommendations because he hasn't ever really steered me wrong. The author, Markus Zusak has also written about why he wrote the novel. 

The book is available for purchase from Amazon here: The Book Thief

I give this book 4.7 stars out of 5. Wait, maybe I give it 4.8. I don't know. I give it a lot of stars because that's just how good it was. I think this book is even going to go on my birthday book list. I highly recommend this book.

Have you read The Book Thief? Do you happen to know in which video John Green talks about this book?