Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak

It's been a while since my last review; turns out working full time from home and being able to read as much as you'd like don't really mix! However, I've just finished a title that's been on my TBR pile for a long time - The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak.

Set in 1930s/40s Germany, The Book Thief takes place amidst the horror of Nazi rule. A young girl named Liesel Meminger is fostered by the Hubermann's in a town called Molching, and quickly becomes accustomed to life on Himmel Street. She plays football with her new best friend, Rudy Steiner, and spends her evenings learning to read with her foster father. It is these long evenings spent in the basement deciphering words and phrases that Liesel's love of books is born. From then on, she grabs a book wherever she can - from the mayor's wife and Nazi book burning ceremonies to name but two. When her foster parents hide a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world changes completely.

The book is narrated by Death, a character in and of itself, which lends a unique perspective to the story. It allows the reader to become almost detached from events, as though watching from afar, while at the same time feeling as though you're right there with Liesel, rushing down into her neighbour's basement as the bombs fall. The descriptions of the bleak, grey, dismal landscape of Molching are vivid in the mind's eye, and it's impossible not to feel completely absorbed in the story. It's striking how much of the language and propaganda used to turn the population against Jews is so similar to that used by some today to describe immigrants to the UK - the idea that Jews were there to take the jobs of other German citizens, that they were uneducated, or looking to take advantage of vulnerable people. It seems that Liesel and those closest to her disagree with these sentiments, but are also confused about how they should really be feeling. Taking a Jewish man into their basement was an act of instinct, something telling them that it was the right thing to do, but meant living in permanent fear for months to come.

This was a brilliant book; it was a bit of a slow burner, and at some points it did feel like it was taking forever to get through, but I'd say once I got over the halfway mark it really picked up pace and I couldn't put it down. It was originally categorised as a YA title, but after reading so many comments saying that it was definitely a book that would appeal to an adult audience, I decided to try it and am so glad I did.

For anyone who enjoys historical, wartime fiction, I'd wholly recommend this book. A truly heartbreaking (yet powerfully hopeful) read.