Book Review: The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

Synopsis: 

It is 1939, Nazi Germany.

The country is holding its breath.

Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. 

By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up an object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger;s Handbook, and it is her first act of book thievery.

So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book - burnings, the mayors wife's library, wherever there are books to be found. 

But there are dangerous ties. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.

Review: 

Since sixth grade I have had an obsession over reading books about the Holocaust. The subject fascinated me and intrigued my curiosity to discover more and more. I believe this morbid fixation stems from my love for the dystopian genre. So naturally The Book Thief immediately became one of my ultimate favourites. However, this book is not like the traditional holocaust themed books I've read.

The Book Thief is a beautiful crafted story of words by Markus Zusak. What makes this novel so interesting is the display of adoration for the influence of words, making it easy for readers to immediately relate to the novel. The story is narrated by Death giving the novel an interesting perspective. Death puts forward very philosophical points and ideas such as his constant critique of the human race, however, as the story continues, you can’t help but respect and even feel sympathy for him. Some may find a story of the Holocaust narrated by Death distasteful however; I personally, found it an intriguing method.   

 The Book Thief, set in Germany within the years 1939 – 1943 and conveys the story of an ambitious, compelling, and likable young girl, Liesel, who effectively is an orphan. Her father is unheard of, her mother disappears after delivering her to her new foster parents, and her younger brother passes away on the train to Molching for unknown reasons. The title The Book Thief derives from Liesels pleasure in stealing books. She first discovered this when she stole her first book, The Gravedigger’s Handbook, which was left a stray in the snow when a man had dropped it when digging her brothers grave. Liesel grows up on a very deprived street and therefore does not have access to many books, making her drown in the longing she has for the power of books. At first, she only steals randomly but soon grows into a more precise thief. However she is never greedy and only takes what she believes she deserves. The books she steals provide comfort to her during the war and help her describe and learn words.

I am finding it hard to try and explain just what the book is about as there is just so much that it is about. There are simply so many themes, characters and stories contained in this book that I cannot simply choose a few and then sacrifice the rest. I am no expert on the topic of the novel nor am I an expert on the Holocaust; I am simply putting out my opinion. But I will say that The Book Thief is a magnificent story, and it is a good one. It touched me even through all the unsettling context and emotion. I would recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in World War II, Historical Fiction or perhaps lovers, like myself, of the dystopian genre.

This is my first time blogging so leave a comment below letting me know what you think!

Thanks for reading,

Ally xox