The Book Thief

It probably goes without saying that Death probably has the most depressing job in the world. Like the dentist, he/she has endless amounts of work and no one ever wants to see him. Not to mention the long hours and the lack of overtime pay. In 'The Book Thief,' by Markus Zusak, it is Death who is the narrator and he is more than happy to describe to us, and to lament, his line of work.

The book opens with a line of cold, hard fact, 'You are going to die.' And who else can tell you with so much directness, in such a matter-of-fact way than Death himself? From there, the real story begins.

It is about a young girl named Liesel Meminger living in World War II Germany. She lives with foster parents and as a way of recovering from the loss of her birth family (and to make the harsh realities of war more bearable), she turns to stealing books. Therein lies the essential idea within the story. Through learning to read the books she steals and eventually learning to write them, Liesel learns that words can be a powerful means of escape, of beauty and of inflicting pain. For as 'The Book Thief' will emphasize, there is no light without dark and no beauty without ugliness.

The narrative is non-linear and occasionally disrupted by asides from Death. It travels backwards and forwards through time and through different characters without any warning. You will know the ending of the book by the middle of it, because Death will tell you. You will not want to know it but that is life, full of pain and harsh truths. It is also full of beauty as well.

Yet 'The Book Thief,' in all of its narrative complexities, is full of rich characters and a compelling story line. It is a tribute to the written word and to humanity, in shades ugly and beautiful, within a story that is not your typical WWII novel.