Book Review :: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Published by Black Swan
on September 8th 2007
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 560
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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.

Last updated on 22 February 2022

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My goodness. Where to start? The Book Thief was such a good book, and I’m not really sure why. It had been on my To Read list for so long, but (much like several other books this year) I decided I needed to read it before the movie came out. According to Good Reads, I read 59% of it last Saturday. I just sat down and read…and read…and couldn’t stop.

Much like the title suggests, The Book Thief is, funnily enough, about a girl who steals books.

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.

What is The Book Thief about?

Liesel Meminger lives in Nazi Germany with her foster parents, and The Book Thief tells of her life and the people in her street. But it’s narrated by Death, which is something that makes this book really interesting. Death (who was very busy in the Second World War) takes an interest in the Book Thief’s life and often jumps back and forth along her timeline so there are no surprises for the reader. Death follows Liesel as she comes to terms with the fact she now has foster parents, makes friends in the street (including best friend Rudy), hides a Jew in their basement, and steals books along the way.

“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn’t already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.”

It’s an amazing story, but I can’t really figure out why. It was sad and depressing, and about death and the war, but it was wonderful, and written beautifully with great one-liners that were thought-provoking and gut-wrenching at the same time. The characters are great, and Death is definitely seen in a new light, rather than his usual evil ways. And it’s about books. It’s a book about books, and that in itself, is wonderful.

While it’s not a genre I would normally read (I stay away from war-related books), I am very glad I read it. Can’t wait to see the movie now; it’ll be interesting to see how they’ve done it.

Have you read The Book Thief? What did you think?