The Book Thief: A Novel of Love and Loss

After being in a long book drought, I decided to pick up “The book thief” by Markus Zusak. The first line is what sucked me into the story.

‘'A mountain range of debris in which our narrator introduces himself, the colors, and the book thief,' says the narrator."

The narrator or Death quickly became my favorite character in the series and his beginning monologue is one of my favorites, for, how he wrote the color representation of the dead was very unique. However, he is no grim reaper. He is the kinder and gentler version who shows sympathy for his victims. Yet, he urges people to accept that everyone is going to die.

"It's enough to state that at some point, I'll be standing over you, as genially as possible. I shall hold your soul in my arms. A color will cling to my shoulder. I'll softly carry you away."

And his resentment for human behavior and its cruelty is what resonated with me and I often thought back to this line whilst reading the book and in real life as well.

“They're the ones I can't tolerate looking at, despite my best efforts on several occasions. I purposefully search for colors to divert my attention away from them, but now and then, I see the ones who are left behind collapsing among the jigsaw puzzle of recognition, sadness, and astonishment. Their souls have been pierced. Their hearts have been pounded.”

When I initially started reading the book I went in blind so I didn’t know that it was based in Nazis Germany.

We are immediately struck by the tragedy of Liesel's brother, who died on the route to their foster parents' house. And we're told that the color chosen for the funeral was "something white." 'Of the dazzling variety.' Liesel steals a book from one of the gravediggers at her brother's funeral while he is being buried. Despite her illiteracy, Liesel's reading of the book signifies the beginning of her education, her bonding with her stepfather, and her exposure to the world of words, books, and stories and its power, especially given the Nazis’ evident intent to destroy them.

Final Thoughts:

The antagonists are the subject of this story. Zusak thinks that you are aware of the Jewish fight and misery. He assumes you care about them and are appalled on their behalf, so he doesn't spend much time eliciting an emotion you're supposed to feel.

Rather, it concentrates on the bad guys. You learn about and live in a small, impoverished German town. But the truth is that these aren't the terrible guys at all. Zusak assumes, perhaps correctly, that we'd never be able to genuinely identify with and enjoy reading a book about truly evil characters. They're not terrible. They may be Germans who have survived persecution and death, after all, but they are still poor. They are the minuscule number of Germans who sympathize with the Jews. They have a Jewish man living with them and have grown to adore him. However, for the majority of the story, they aren't the good guys either. They don't speak up for Jews, don't try to alter people's minds, and don't stand up for what is right. They attempt to get by quietly, without making waves or putting themselves in danger.

So, you can imagine how I would feel. How can I consider myself one of the "good guys" when I don't stand up for others? Shouldn't I have questioned people when they blame someone with proof? Shouldn't I inquire as to how he or she is so sure? How did he/she get to such conclusions about people? Isn't it true that I should have challenged this individual? Couldn't I have pushed her to question her to show her research or to consider facts and ethics?

No. I don't because I don't want to raise any complications or stir up any controversy.

The Book Thief narrator claims that Hitler took over a country and started a war with words rather than firearms or weapons. Others have called this remark foolish and idiotic, but I genuinely agree with him.

If you enjoy reading novels and books, be sure to check out our review on;

📘 Digital Fortress - by Dan Brown - "A code that could kill you."

📘 All the Bright Places - by Jennifer Niven's - "A heartbreaking and beautiful novel about grief and redemption."

📘 The Folk of the Air Trilogy - by Holly Black -  "A true story of Adventure, Love, and Survival."

📘 Divergent Trilogy - by Veronica Roth - "The Most Anticipated Book of all Time."

📘 The Alchemist - by Paulo Coelho - “A Masterpiece of Fiction.”