"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak (Review)

        The Book Thief Book Review

Basic Info:

Originally published: 2005

Authors: Markus Zusak, Chung Young Mok

Page count: 584

Characters: Liesel Meminger, Rudy Steiner, Hans Hubermann, Max Vandenburg, Rosa Hubermann

Narrator: Death

Genres: History, Novel, Fiction, Young adult fiction, Historical Fiction

Review: A creative, narrative classic, with just a tad too many descriptions.

I finished this novel a few days ago, and am still puzzling over how many stars I should give it; I wanted to give it 10/10, or 5/5, or whatever, but it just didn't feel right to me, so I didn't. Let me explain.

The Book Thief's story line is kinda hard to tell, because it's more of many small events or adventures brought into one; a bit like Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree books. The basic plot basically follows the life of a young girl, Liesel, as she grows up in a German town, with foster parents.

Now, this novel's main "good points" are its narrator and the amazingly original, and creative descriptions, which are peppered throughout the novel. Now, the narrator is death, which I thought was just a masterful move, and painfully symbolic, as you know from the start that the story won't end happily. It's World War II, and death is busier than usual, with all the humans killing each other, but he just fits so perfectly into the story, as you see the world and the humans and the colors in it through his eyes. Because even death has a heart.

One of my favorite passages in this book, is when death describes taking the souls out of Auschwitz, which is just tear-jerking. The ending was also heart-breaking, as death comes to collect his due. So, as far as narrative goes, The Book Thief has one of the best, for sure.

Then the countless descriptions, which just stun you, and you just go: "Wow, I never thought of it that way!". Markus Zusak is definitely a creative genius, and the only problem I actually had with the book, was that it may have had a tad too many descriptions, but which does allow the book to be read several times.

So, my summary is that this book is a creative classic, which I liked way more than "The Boy in striped Pajamas". My rating is 9/10 or on Goodreads 4 1/2 /5. A creative classic.