The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It's National Book Day, so why not talk about a book that celebrates books, with one of my all-time favourite books ever, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

From Goodreads:
It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

I was 20 when I read this book. And it has stayed with me for four years. With this book, Markus Zusak weaves a wonderful, readerly, touching tale filled with magical realism and sorrow. This book is amazing. I know I say that a lot. But, guys. This book. Maybe one other book has stayed with me like this book, and even then, it did not have as a profound effect on me as this one did. 

Zusak does so many things with The Book Thief. The most important thing is that he humanizes everyone. EVERYONE. This book is not a Holocaust book. The Holocaust happens in the book, there are Jewish characters in the book, but the prime focus of the book is not on the Holocaust, but rather the everyday people living in Germany between 1939 and 1945 during Hitler's rule. It acknowledges the horrors of World War II and the Nazis. A clever thing that Zusak does is have the story be narrated by Death. But he does it in such a way that you forget that Death is narrating it, until it is brought up. It makes sense that Death would be ever-present in this story, because Death was ever-present during World War II. 

Another thing that Zusak does is show the power of words. The basic premise of the novel is the protagonist and the father figure teaching each other how to read during what are the hardest parts of their lives. For Liesel and Hans, books are a way of bonding and coming closer together, while also avoiding the terrors of the real world. They do not ignore the real world, but rather put the pause button on, because sometimes, reading is more important than knowing what is happening in reality, something that rang true during World War II, and still rings true today. Books and words are powerful, as Zusak shows, and he eloquently displays how books are literally life-changing. One thing I liked about this book, is that while Liesel did have to grow up faster than she probably should have due to the war, she was still able to be a kid for most of the time, which is a nice difference to other novels that have their child characters be miniature adults all the time. It is more realistic to allow Liesel to still be a child and have fun, while still being responsible. 

While this book is heartwarming and uplifting, it is also completely and utterly tragic and moving at the same time. I know it was four years ago that I read this book, but I could not tell you how many times I was choked up while reading this book. I think I started crying around page 30 or so, it is that powerful. 

An accurate portrayal of reading Markus Zusak's The Book Thief 

As it says in the description, this is a simple story. Something else I really enjoyed about this book is how simplistic it is. Usually war novels make everything be Big and Important, but The Book Thief chooses to focus on the smaller things, the everyday life. It's a unique way of telling this type of story, but I think it is more effective than making everything be Big and Important; The Book Thief only dramatizes what needs to be, and even then, it's minimalized if it needs to be.

If you couldn't tell, I absolutely love this book. It's one of my all time favourite books ever, even though I have only ever read it once. I can't wait to read it again (whenever that may be). I truly recommend this book. It is touching and overwhelming and wonderful. It is a book that will stay with you for a long time after finishing it. I give The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 5/5