November’s book review is here and oh what a book we read this time. This was the longest book that our book club has had so far but it really didn’t feel like it. As soon as I picked it up I could not put it down, and I think I finished it in just three sittings.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak follows the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany. Narrated by Death, the novel explores how Liesel finds comfort and power in words while the world around her is torn apart by war. Through friendships, loss, and stolen books, she discovers both the brutality and the beauty of humanity.

The choice to have this book narrated by Death is so interesting, and it really sets this book apart from other coming of age stories. Liesel piques Death’s interest at a very young age, and while death helps us as the reader understand Liesel, observing Liesel helps death understand humans as well. 

Death jumps between several perspectives and even moves back and forth in time, occasionally spoiling what’s to come. In a previous book review I complained about how I felt that the constant scene and perspective changes in The Thursday Murder Club were disorienting and unnecessary, but this book makes it work perfectly. Since death is the narrator, it makes sense that he can see beyond Liesel’s world and even when he jumps back and forth in time it feels intentional and not like he’s trying to fit as much content as possible.

This novel was haunting and heartwarming at the same time, really capturing the joyful experiences of childhood combined with the broader, darker reality of Germany under the Nazi Regime. Zusak was excellent at illustrating all of the different ways that people coped with the atrocities happening at the time. Some wholeheartedly believed what the authorities said, some remained passive, and some made the difficult choice to care and to fight. Through Liesel,  you can see the range of how children dealt with it. Some became fully indoctrinated and were mostly interested in seeking validation from adults, but I think the majority didn’t really understand the gravity of what was happening around them. All in all, no matter where in history you look, you will always find people being people.

One of Liesel’s most impactful relationships is the bond she develops with Max, a young Jewish man seeking shelter from the German authorities. Liesel goes from an ignorant child to slowly understanding the horror of what is happening around her, and I think it illustrates how dangerous “othering” truly is when it comes to creating public opinion. If you separate people for long enough they will slowly stop empathizing with each other until forced into each other’s vicinity. 

One of the biggest points of the book is the power of words, both how dangerous and how important they are. Hitler is able to use his words for evil, while Liesel uses her words to empower herself and to impact her surroundings in a positive way.

I’ll finish this review with words that aren’t my own. When we discussed this book someone described how their first thought after finishing was ‘“so this is what a good book is.” and that’s exactly how I felt as well. It was lovely and devastating and thought-provoking all at once. For being the best book that I have read in a long time, I’ll give this book 5/5 stars.

By: Elvira Svensson