The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
The Book Thief follows a young German girl, named Liesel, living with a foster family in Nazi Germany through World War Two. There are a lot of twists in the story that I don’t want to go into from fear of spoiling these wonderful moments. The events start with a death on a train and follow Liesel as she becomes The Book Thief. An important addition to this story is that it is told from the perspective of Death.
There are many works of fiction set during the time of the second world war and the holocaust, spread throughout art and media. From tales of battles presented on the silver screen, to the lives of the Jewish people in the pages of books. This point in history is rich with stories both true and false that still resonate with audiences. The Book Thief is one of those recent works that became an instant modern classic that feels carefully thought provoking and tragically beautiful.
In February 2019 I was able to visit Auschwitz. This experience brought feelings that to this day I am still struggling to understand. People will tell you about the tears that you may shed, the unrelenting sadness you will encounter, and the bone chilling silence that you will experience while you are there. These only scratch the surface of what you may experience while walking around such a historically important place. I never shed a tear. Not because I was unfeeling, but because the feelings I had were so strong that it was like my brain couldn’t quite figure out the correct response. There is no correct response. I definitely felt unrelenting sadness, but it was an empty sadness coupled with sprouts of joy from seeing wonderful pictures of victims before they were taken away, which of course only made the sadness emptier. Finally, the silence. Birds do sing. People still talk. The air is loud and penetrating. The silence comes from within, at a deep part of yourself that couldn’t possibly imagine how something like Auschwitz could even exist.
The Book Thief is not situated in or around Auschwitz. However, it does take place near Dachau and heavily features the fear of the Jewish people during this time. This book, when looking at it as a piece of war fiction, stands tall in its ability to present these moments in an honest way.
Zusak’s choice to make Death his narrator is pure genius. The reader is able to read events from one of the most horrific and unjust periods in history through the eyes of a being that was not only there but was also undeniably part of it. The interesting thing about the way Zusak uses Death is by making him honestly relatable. Death speaks about Hitler and the people he kills. He is able to explain his opinion on what is happening and how all he has ever been is the carrier of souls, never the one that decides it is there time.
When reading this book, I found myself constantly writing quotes from Zusak’s narrator on my phone to look back on. I’m not sure if I found them inspirational, or beautiful, or maybe both. I only knew that I wanted to have this collection of thoughts and feelings from a much kinder interpretation of the being that we all know will come for us eventually.
This is where I have to stop and nit-pick what I’ve just said. Markus Zusak is obviously not Death, and there is no earthly reason that this writer should know exactly what Death is thinking or feeling. However, as a reader I truly believed that this narration was coming from the one and only Death due to the perfect writing and nuanced creation of this character. Zusak obviously made decisions about who Death was and then went on to fulfil those through the perfectly crafted dialogue presented. I understand that with the way and length at which I am talking about Zusak’s narrator, it may come across that Death has been romanticised in The Book Thief. I wouldn’t say this is entirely true, and any romantic perceptions of any character in media will only come from what the reader takes from it. It is my appreciation for the idea of Death presented in The Book Thief, and Markus Zusak’s representation of him that I feel is noteworthy and wonderful to explore. To think of Death as merely a carrier of souls is one that feels almost poetic and admirable.
The chapters cleverly move around the plot, giving Death his own stories to tell in between the characters journeys. The narrator doesn’t seem to care much about linear storytelling either, giving most events away before they’ve taken place. This is excellent given the explanation we receive about Death seeing these events as already transpired, and so it doesn’t mean anything if we, the reader, know them already. The result of this creative response means that the reader learns about events at the right time in wherever you are in the story, and in whatever capacity, to make each event hit perfectly. To simplify, Zusak sets expectations and dances around with them in a way that simply works.
The characters are beautiful and seem to have been created to show humanity within Nazi Germany. We follow multiple characters that do not agree with the events having taken place, taking certain steps to assure they help those who are being wronged. I think it is important, after so much time has passed since world war two, to understand that not every German agreed with the persecution of so many groups. We have recently seen a rise in these stories, notably the feature film by Taika Waititi, titled Jojo Rabbit, is a wonderful exploration of the German people during Nazi Germany. However, The Book Thief does a brilliant job at asking whether the German people deserved whatever fate each was dealt – for good or ill.
I beg anyone to read this book. Not only is it a modern classic but it has gone on to be created into a movie. I personally haven’t watched this film, and after reading the book I don’t know if I ever have to. For me, this book was an experience. Each time I opened its pages I wasn’t sure where Death would take me on Liesel’s story. I was always waiting at the very edge of my seat. As much as this book focuses on a small girl who grows to become The Book Thief it is also about so much more. Through Deaths eyes, watching the events of Liesel’s life, we are shown the war, the holocaust, and the fear that lived within everyone.
“I do not carry a sickle or a scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it’s cold. And I don’t have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance. You want to know what I truly look like? I’ll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue.”
– Markus Zusak, The Book Thief
