The Book Thief
Markus Zusak || Publication Date - 14.03.2005
War is bubbling in Nazi Germany, and a little girl is committing her first crime.
Historical
As Leisel uses her thieved books to learn how to read, and this opening up all new avenues for her world to expand. Her understanding really broadens when a Jewish man comes knocking on her foster families door. His asylum within their basement creates a secret between their family and Death is only too interested to find out whether or not Leisel can keep it.
The Review (may contain spoilers)
In regards to history, my area of intrigue has always been early Middle Ages spanning through to the end of the Tudor period. History involving the 1st and 2nd World Wars was never much of an interest to me, even though I had conversations with family members who had fought in or lived through at least one of these wars. I remember my Nanna talking to me about the bomb shelters she used to hide in while the blackouts were happening and German aircraft were bombing England. One of my distant Uncles wanted to fight for Australia so much that after he was discharged from the Army, he went to another state and signed up again impersonating his twin brother.
With this being said, I went into this novel with the knowledge I'd accumulated from school (which has been regarded highly inaccurate) and whatever other bits I've gathered on YouTube and in documentaries. I cannot attest to any mistakes or misinformation this novel may portray regarding the events leading up to and during WWII, however I am hoping that it is at least a respectful representation of the true horror which took place in Germany during this time.
Now that disclaimer is out of the way, I fucking loved this book.
I can see why this novel has received the praise it has. The writing is phenomenal, and the point of view watching over the events throughout the book is an interesting touch. I adore the way the chapters are broken up further into smaller parts, each outlining an important event which happened during the timeframe being written about. There's also the bold formatting through the novel which highlights thoughts, opinions or even unseen events to the characters which give further clarity and insight into the narrative.
It was an immersive read from the very first pages and it really flew by with how quickly I powered through the book. Despite the real world events that happened, it felt accessible as someone who couldn't fathom the experiences felt by those living in Germany at the time.
The comparison between reading and writing was also incredibly well done. Leisel didn't know how to read or write when she came to her new foster family. She learned the true joy and power that words could bring to the world from her foster father and Max. She loved words, and reading and eventually writing. However, that's juxtaposed with the harm that words can also bring. Knowing that Hitler was using propaganda and words to fuel his evil regime made Leisel sick and she grieved the circumstances where something she loved so dearly was also something which could be used to destroy the people she loved most.
Overall Thoughts
From the very first chapters I found the novel quite interesting. As it evolved from interesting to compelling, I knew this was going to be a book I had to have physically on my shelves. It even came to a point of it being a book I wanted to annotate, which I've never wanted to annotate a book before.
Clearly this is a book I would recommend everyone read, considering I will be purchasing a copy myself to have on my shelves. I see this being a book I can re-read and continue to pick up on nuances making the novel even deeper than I already believe it is.
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