A review by elderlyemo
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

How do I review The Book Thief?

Maybe I'm biased because it's been my favourite book of all time since I read it for the first time in 2007, and it has yet to be dethroned. This is by no means my normal kind of book, I picked it up on a whim one evening in a supermarket not knowing how profoundly important it would become to me. So now, sitting here nearly 20 years later, with the original cover of the book I read tattooed on my forearm (my first tattoo) I can confidently say that this book is as close to perfect as any book I've ever read can be. 

I reread it every year, sometimes twice, and it never fails to absolutely devastate and amaze me. Every character, however small, has such a massive personality and the world building makes a small town in Germany feel like a different universe. 

With themes of death, life, war, hope and ultimately, love and what it means to be loved, this book changed how I not only read books but how I viewed an entire period of history. 

And the kicker? It's narrated by Death. Read it. You won't regret it.