A review by timmytunter
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak is a remarkable novel set in WWII-era Nazi Germany, chronicling the life of Leisel Meminger from the age of nine. After being forcibly removed from her communist parents, Leisel is placed with the middle-aged Hubermanns, where she begins a journey of self-discovery amidst immense personal loss and the harrowing realities of the world around her.

The story's unique innovation lies in its narrator: Death, personified. This narrative choice opens up creative possibilities and insights that would otherwise be unattainable. Death's matter-of-fact and somewhat sardonic tone lends an unusual air to the story, particularly in the frequent descriptions of people's deaths. 

Leisel herself is a kind, loyal, and daring girl. Initially defensive and guarded, she gradually learns to trust her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, and grows to deeply care for them, as well as her neighbor Rudy and the Jewish fugitive Max. Her compassionate heart and quest for justice, challenging traits to possess in Nazi Germany, are central to her character development. The story is populated with fascinating characters, each contributing to Leisel's growth in some way: Rudy, the German boy who idolizes African American runner Jesse Owens; Max, the Jewish fistfighter; the mayor's tentative wife Ilsa who lets Leisel steal her books; and the fervently Führer-faithful Hans Hubermann Jr, at odds with his parents.

Zusak employs various literary techniques that enhance the narrative, such as occasional sketches and handwritten excerpts, parenthesised announcements for background details, and plot foreshadowing. With regard to the latter, as an example, it is relatively early on that readers are informed of
Rudy's impending death
, and the timeframe within which this will take place. This approach has the effect of there being relatively few unexpected twists in the plot as the narrative progresses, but underscores the inevitability of certain outcomes in a historical World War Two context while maintaining narrative tension.

Leisel's journey from illiteracy to discovering the power of words and books, guided by her papa Hans, is deeply moving. The unique relationship she shares with Max, grounded in a love of words, is embodied in the stories he writes for her, literally rewriting history by writing over torn out pages of Mein Kampf. Zusak’s novel itself is something of a love letter to words and books, a sentiment that resonated profoundly with me as a fellow lover of language. "The Book Thief" is a unique and intriguing reading experience that will remain with me for a long time.
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