A Review on "The Book Thief"

Written by Markus Zusak in 2006, The Book Thief tells the story of nine-year-old Liesel Meminger as she struggles through the horrors of Nazi Germany, 1939. Narrated by Death, this intense, fiery novel is a captivating read from cover to cover.

This 592-page story begins on a low note. Liesel’s mom is accompanying Liesel and her brother on a journey to Munich, where the siblings will live with their new foster parents. On the train ride, Liesel hears an intense spurt of coughing – and then her brother is on the floor, dead. Liesel and her mother make an emergency stop to have a quick burial and ceremony for her dead brother. Amid the grief and chaos, Liesel steals her first book, called The Grave Digger’s Handbook, from near her brother’s grave. 

Upon arriving at 33 Himmel Street, Liesel meets three important people: her foster mom, dad, and a 10-year-old boy named Rudy. Liesel’s new foster mom, Rosa, loves Liesel very dearly. Unfortunately for Liesel, Rosa has an odd way of loving Liesel, involving a lot of curse words and a good Watschen with a wooden spoon. Papa, on the other hand, is infinitely gentler and kinder towards Liesel. When Liesel wakes up sweating in the middle of the night from visions of her dead brother, it is always Papa who is there to comfort her. During these midnight sessions, Papa teaches Liesel the ABCs, and they later pick up The Grave Digger’s Handbook. The third important person, Rudy, is infamous for the ‘Jesse Owens Incident’. Once upon a time, he painted himself black with charcoal and ran around the neighborhood pretending to be the black athlete Jesse Owens, who at the time won 4 gold medals at the 1936 Olympics. Over the course of the novel, Liesel and Rudy feed their meager existences by stealing things: apples, chestnuts, books; anything they could get their hands on.

As Liesel grows older, it seems that her life is approaching normality when suddenly there’s a derelict, ruined Jew named Max at their doorstep. It is now up to Liesel and her family to hide him under their basement stairs, away from the prying eyes of the Nazis. Will Liesel be able to keep this strange man safe?

The Book Thief was a great read overall. One thing I have mixed feelings about was that Death narrated the story. It allowed the author to juggle two stories at the same time, and Death also provided a lot of insight into the thoughts and actions of the characters. Unfortunately, he also spoiled many parts of the story. In my opinion, there was too much foreshadowing, which ruined the suspense of the book. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed The Book Thief, and I would highly recommend this novel to anyone.

- Anthony