THE BOOK THIEF


THE BOOK THIEF
MARKUS ZUSAK
GENRE : HISTORICAL FICTION, WAR NOVEL, YA FICTION
FIRST PUBLISHED : 2005
"Together, they would watch everything that was so carefully planned collapse, and they would all smile at the beauty of destruction."
Try­ing to make sense of the hor­rors of World War II, Death in Markus Zusak's book "The Book Thief" relates the sto­ry of Liesel, a young Ger­man girl whose book-steal­ing and sto­ry-telling tal­ents help sus­tain her fos­ter fam­i­ly and the Jew­ish man they are hid­ing, as well as their neigh­bors. Fortunately, this book isn't about Death; it's about death, and so much else. It is about love, kindness, friendship, trust, books, and lots of thievery. It is about finding small happiness during the dark times, and having faith in humanity. Liesel Meminger's little brother dies just before her mother leaves her with the foster parents in a dismal town in southern Germany (her father, a Communist, has been taken away). How she starts to love her new family, make friends in Rudy and the "feather-haired Jew", and the way how the girl reading books ends up becoming the woman writing her life story is impeccable. 

In the novel, as He tells Liesel’s story, Death frequently interrupts the narrative to offer insights about Himself, the characters in the novel, and about humanity in general.  In confronting us with these experiences, The Book Thief upsets the nature of realities previously undisturbed by such detailed descriptions of mortality and the horrors of the Holocaust. While the readers know that the Holocaust occurred and that death is inevitable, The Book Thief bridges the gap of time and space, forcing the readers to consider the significance of these events for the present time.
"People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intoations, with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spat blues. Murky darknesses. In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them."
Death’s complexity as a personified character enables him to escort readers from one understanding of reality into a deeper, more complex reality by forcing them to confront their mortality and the Holocaust. Death is a key figure in the book because of his dual nature, which enables him to simultaneously expose and shield the readers from the difficult truth of the Holocaust and mortality. 

My personal favourite is the beautiful relationship of Max and Liesel; a filthy Jew and a German girl; a defeated boxer in his mid twenties and a young teenager trying desperately to save his life, a story teller and a book reader. From the time Max enters the frame, it is evident how so very similar they both are. Both have been forced to leave their respective families and have been adopted by the Hubermans. Sharing their misfortunes and nightmares, the two become connected through sharing their souls and the printed word. Liesel teaches Max that he can express his scrappy personality through words and in return Max teaches Liesel never to give up. Max demonstrates that he is a captivating storyteller, a role that he will continue to fill for Liesel as the novel progresses. He becomes her source of courage to take on her nightmares without the help of her foster father Hans. Max helps her now, and in many ways later, to mature.

The Book Thief exposes its readers to elements of the Real that are disturbing and uncomfortable, but ultimately also enables the reader to transition into a new and deeper reality. More than a plot device to carry the story forward, more than a tool for relaying the most grotesque moments of suffering during the Holocaust, Death in The Book Thief is a tool for promoting personal growth. Within the novel, readers face suffering, decay, mortality and the complexity of human nature as it appears in this moment in history. However, readers’ realities are reconstructed in a manner that fosters growth. The novel does not attempt to remove the monstrous reality; it does not try to help the reader understand or reconcile with them or with this historical moment. However, it does encourage readers to continue grappling with them. 

Comments

  1. I kinda liked how this book managed to instil a sense of hope in the readers despite describing the absolute horror humanity was at that point of time. Even Death was haunted by humanity. Ekta jinish besh interesting...jokhon Death Liesel ke script ta pherot dilo, he said he was confused and couldn't understand the duality of humans. But death himself showed a dual nature...kind to Liesel but totally wrathful to millions.
    Anyways, beautifully penned as always :)

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    1. Oh yes, I understand your point, but you see, Death continuosuly mentions in the novel that he is a slave of War and that he does not want people to die such gruesome deaths. All he can do is usually gently lift their souls towards heaven. Tho one thing can't be ignored; His sense of likeness toward Liesel

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  2. Yes. The author did demote Death in this novel. Maybe that's why it seemed "death has a heart."

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  3. I keep thinking about writing this review too, but am always very intimidated to start 🙈

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