BOOK REVIEW: The Book Thief

THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak is not a happy book. But then, what would you expect from a book that takes place in Nazi Germany and is narrated by Death.

Twelve year old Liesel Meminger and her six year old brother were being taken to the small town of Molching, near Munich to foster parents by their mother, when the little boy dies. At the quick burial along the way, Liesel finds a book dropped in the snow by one of the gravediggers. Putting it in her jacket, she has stolen her first book. This becomes her only touch with her dead brother.

Liesel is delivered to her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Hans is a quiet man who makes a meager living painting homes of the wealthier residents of the town. Rosa does laundry for those who can still afford it.

Hans teaches Liesel to read from the book that she had stolen, "The Grave Digger’s Handbook". The book has come to stand for the last time she saw her brother and mother. Her next stolen book is taken from the large bonfire that the Nazis used to burn the dangerous books owned by the Jews of the community.

Liesel uses stealing books as a type of comfort as life get more precarious in the small town. Her reading becomes important to her neighbors as she reads to them in the basements used as bomb shelters during air attacks.

The neighbors themselves become an important part of the story. Liesel’s friend Ruby is obsessed with the image of Jesse Owens. So much so that he paints himself black and trains as a runner. The woman who lives next door hates Rosa Hubermann and never passes by without spitting on the Hubermann’s door. By the time her son is killed in Russia, we know her well enough to cry with her.

We have to mention the important Jew hiding in the Hubermann’s basement. To tell you too much about him would ruin the story for you.

All of the characters are so well defined that we could be living on Himmel Street and watch its demise with them. The plot of THE BOOK THIEF is what would be expected, a young girl during the Nazi uprising in Germany. If you are thinking, "Another story of the human ability to overcome adversities." you could be right, except in this book we learn how tired Death gets picking up souls too soon. We also learn how important words can be-- from Hitler’s use of words to stir up a nation to words saving a young girl’s life on Himmel Street.

I have to admit that I finished this book with tears running down my cheeks. It is brilliantly written. Using Death as the narrator keeps it from getting overly sentimental, in fact Death may have a bit of a sense of humor. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates a well written book.