emmaemmaemmaemma's profile picture

emmaemmaemmaemma 's review for:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4.5
adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I've seen so many young men over the years who think they're running at other young men.
They are not. They are running at me. - Death on War

The Book Thief is haunting. Not in a nightmares sort of way, but in a way that eats at your heart, bit by bit. Small enough that you don’t notice what’s happening until you reach the end point that you KNEW was coming anyway, and somehow still find yourself surprised to have shattered your heart into a million pieces.

The writing style is excellent and I think that’s why this book is so highly praised. It’s captivating in a way that not everyone is able to captivate. Words turn mundane ideas into fascinating glimpses into the heads of these characters. Max shadowboxing. Liesel dropping not so silently through a window, her shoes left outside. Rudy teasingly demanding a kiss, chilled to the bone. Hans playing the accordion. Rosa raising her foster daughter with the toughest kind of tough love. The gathering of a neighborhood in a basement to hear a little girl read, distracted momentarily from the bombs raining down outside. Death describing what it is to scoop up the souls of the dying and to hold them with dignity.

It’s beautiful. It’s artistic. It hurts. It’s traumatizing. It’s worth the read.