The Book Thief: a brief review

taken from Goodreads.com

Have you ever finished a book and needed some time to sit quietly and digest? Like...don't talk to me or ask anything of me for a while, because I am filled with both love and the deepest of sorrows and I'm not sure how to proceed. That was me last night. I truly loved this book, everything about it, but I'm finding it a little hard to put into words why. Not because it isn't obvious, but because it's so special I just want to hold it close to me and cherish it. That might sound odd - and it very well might be - but all I've done since finishing it is sleep and eat breakfast so I'm still in an emotional state.

Markus Zusak's The Book Thief has been well-known and well-loved since it's creation, but it's become wildly popular since Hollywood turned it into a movie. In fact, that's when it got bumped from my "I really want to read that list" to my "I now have a deadline to read it before I see the movie list." I loved it from the first page; as someone who is attempting to write a novel of her own, I can't even put into words my level of respect for Zusak and his incredible ability to describe, explain, and paint his characters into existence. One of my favorite examples of his characterization comes from the beginning of the book:

She was good at being furious. In fact, you could say that Rosa Hubermann had a face decorated with constant fury. That was how the creases were made in the cardboard texture of her complexion. (page 32 on Kindle)

As far as an actual plot description, here's my attempt: Liesel Meminger's mother is forced to place both Liesel and her brother in a foster home in pre-WWII Germany, but on the journey to their new town Liesel's brother dies. When she arrives at the Hubermann's home, Liesel is young, alone, and terrified. Her initial observations of her ill-tempered foster mother and grumpy foster father, though, quickly become brushed aside as she realizes the depth of their love for her. Whether it's sitting with her all night after a nightmare or expressing affection through vulgar nicknames, Liesel quickly finds her home with the Hubermanns on Himmel Street. As time progresses and the war begins, she finds love in other places as well, like the next-door neighbor boy Rudy who is intent on kissing her, and the stranger Max who has moved into the basement. Through it all, Liesel finds solace and excitement in the books she steals and the way they bring all of the people in her life together.

I can't even describe the happiness and the heartbreak that this book brings. You will absolutely adore the characters; you will absolutely adore this book. Zusak took an interesting approach when writing this book by using Death as the narrator. It sounds a little odd, and it does take a little bit of time to get used to, but it's also a completely appropriate choice given the content. I'll end with one of my favorite - and most haunting - paragraphs in the book, as told by Death himself.

Summer came. 
For the book thief, everything was going nicely. 
For me, the sky was the color of Jews.
When their bodies had finished scouring for gaps in the door, their souls rose up. When their fingernails had scratched at the wood and in some cases were nailed into it by the sheer force of desperation, their spirits came toward me, into my arms, and we climbed out of those shower facilities, onto the roof and up, into eternity's certain breadth. They just keep feeding me. Minute after minute. Shower after shower. (page 349 on Kindle)

Read this book, if you haven't already. 

And for added excitement/incentive, here's the extended trailer for the movie (which comes out on DVD today, actually).