Wednesday, May 1, 2013

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak


It took time for me to warm up to the narrator (Death) and his habit of stopping the story to ruminate and make comments. I even had a bad dream that he had pinned me down and was forcing me to listen to his tale as he lay on top of me in my bed. But at some point, he became endearing, like the hot-mouthed Rosa. I fell in love with the characters and was enthralled with their joys and sorrows. I miss them now that I've finished their story.

The narrator's descriptions were also a pleasure, and I felt the author found a way to infuse originality into a story humanity has needed to tell over and over since the Second World War.

The Book Thief is a beautiful testament to the power of words--to their ability to kill and to save lives. It is also a beautiful testament to human beings in exactly the same way.