Should I read this book? YES!
The Book Thief takes place in Nazi Germany at the start of WWII, but the characters and individual events are fictionalized. I loved it. After reading I wanted to talk to the author and discuss with him how he came up with such vivid imagery and poetic details. I like good poetry. And the book was full of it.
The tale is narrated by Death, and although that may seem morbid and dark, it was exactly the opposite. In a time of great suffering, pain, and inevitable loss, the narrator ironically lends sympathy and even hope.
He forshadows much of the pain and tragic events, which tend to lessen the emotional blow when they do happen and where some forshadowing can ruin a good story, the foreshadowing in The Book Thief only added to it, even as obvious as it was.
The characters were real and round, each with imperfections and flaws that made them seem as if they were your own neighbors, parents, friends. The childhood of the protagonist was full of everyday failure and triumph, framed by greater tragic and even triumphal events of the time.
I came away from reading The Book Thief not only with satisfaction of having read a good tale, but also a greater understanding of more than just the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. I felt a greater appreciation for ancestors who lived and endured that time of war and rationing. And thought to myself--wow we've got it pretty good. So thanks Marcus Zusak for a great read.
