The Book Thief

The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak

This is one of those amazing books I referred to yesterday.

Sometimes when you read a book, you are so taken by it that need a break from reading all together - just to think about it a little more. This is one of those books.

The Book Thief is narrated by Death - who is very busy, as it is wartime:

In all honesty (and I know I'm complaining excessively now), I was still getting over Stalin, in Russia. The so-called second revolution - the murder of his own people.
Then came Hitler.
They say war is death's best friend, but I must offer you a different point of view on that one. To me, war is like the new boss who expects the impossible. He stands over your shoulder repeating one thing, incessantly. 'Get it done, get it done'. So you work harder, You get the job done, The boss, however, does not thank you. He asks for more. (p331)

However, even with all the work Death has during the war, he is distracted by a girl he meets three times over the course of her life. The book thief, otherwise known as Liesel Meminger, is fostered to a couple in Germany in the 1940s. She develops a love of books, at a time of Nazi book burnings and racial intolerance. Even more dangerously, her foster family hide a Jew in their basement.

It's a powerful book, eloquently written and I found it quite devastating - both the story and the way it was written.

Highly recommended reading.