The Book Thief is the story of the young teenage girl, Liesel Meminger, as narrated by Death. Set in Nazi era Germany, Liesel's father is a communist who is arrested by the Nazis. She and her brother are to be placed in foster care with Hans and Rosa Hubermann in Molching- her brother dies on the train and then her mother disappears. Hans Hubermann is a mild mannered house painter who spends some of his nights playing accordian in bars and Rosa Hubermann is a hard woman with a big heart who does laundry/ironing for a living and calls people by insults instead of names. Liesel cannot read but she starts "collecting" books. At night she wakes screaming after nightmares and Hans Hubermann teaches her to read during the night hours when she cannot sleep. She befriends Rudy Steiner- a local boy who wants to be a super star athlete and who keeps trying to get Liesel to kiss him. The Hubermanns collect another stray in the form for Jewish street fighter called Max Vandenburg whose father fought with Hans Hubermann in WW1. Max takes up residence in the Hubermanns' basement and he and Liesel develop a friendship.
I've owned a copy of The Book Thief pretty much since it was first realised but I've never been in the mood to read it even though my erstwhile book club read it a few years ago. As I did a great deal of Jewish history at uni, people tend to believe that I love me a book on Nazi Germany but truth be told like most people I have to be in the mood for something that depressing. More than some books on that era this book has some clear neon signs to where it might end up with the combo of Nazi Germany and children, and the fact that it is narrated by Death. I mentioned in my last post that I'm not a laughing out aloud person when it comes to books, crying in books is however a completely different kettle of fish. If children or animals who I've got to know in the book are harmed I will almost certainly cry and if it is adults in harm's way there is a chance that I will cry at that too. This book is very much hard going towards the end if you are prone to crying whilst reading and don't forget this book is technically for young adults. The horror and sadness aside this is profoundly good first novel from Markus Zusak. The characters are delightful- Liesel is brilliantly precocious; Rudy scrappy and adorable; Hans undeniably honourable; Rosa funny, tough and full of love for her family. The sections of the book devoted the drawings and stories that Max writes for Liesel are lovely- except one (it will be obvious to all which one this is). Liesel's growing love and understanding of the power of words in a country that was partially destroyed by the power of one man's words is a great plot. The book does have its flaws and in my mind the main issue is that it works too hard to fit in the traditional Nazi Germany cliques with its basement dwelling Jew and cruel Hitler Youth leaders. In many ways the Hubermanns' world is too good for the dark world around it. Hans and Rosa (even with her insults) have no grey, they are pretty much all white, and so are most of the main characters as the Nazi juggernaut or support for it is not a factor for any of them. The other main issue is Zusak's translation of the little German he uses. Zusak translate immediately following the German and as most of the German is pretty basic it was like reading the line twice- it would have been better left out or not translated in the main text of the novel. That said nice to see such a quality book from an Aussie author. Definitely worth the read and I think good for the young adult audience it is aimed at but don't forget the tissues.
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| There is a really cool cover with a girl dancing with Death but this is the cover of the edition I read which is still pretty good |
I had to pull my bookshelf apart to find one but I needed a more cheerful book after The Book Thief so my next book is The Death of Bunny Munro by Nick Cave.....
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