The Book Thief : Review.

My first thought after reading a good book, is automatically, why didn't I come up with that first? And then, I begin to contemplate on how the idea struck the author. Where was he? What was he doing?
And these questions definitely did spring to mind, once I turned the last page, closed the book, and wiped the tears from my eyes.

I read this book, during my Board examinations. I borrowed it from a second-hand library nearby, and well, to be honest, I never gave it back!

This book, by Australian author Markus Zusak, has a concept that I'm sure could have had much more of an impact, had it been a little more certain of its own strength. It leans towards the youthful sensibilities of the people, but only to the effect of portraying the inherent innocence of the protagonist. Leisel Meminger, a little child, with a love for words and flair for language, trapped in a world of indiscriminate bloodshed and merciless Nazi atrocities.Obviously, she is the Book Thief here. She steals books, for a reason revealed early on in the story. To make sense of the death of her little brother.

I'd not like to give away the plot, but this I just have to tell you.
The story-teller here, or the narrator, is Death. Yes, death, the time heralded enemy, witnessing crimes from the darkest zones of man, who is empathetic towards himself, and at times, is scared of the power of mankind himself. However, he presents a light-hearted, self-deprecating picture of a grim concept and a horrible time.

The characters of her best friend Rudy and her parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, are meticulously crafted, compelling and they stay with you long after you've finished reading. You root for them all, laugh at their joys and get teary-eyed at their disappointments. An innocent, as well as horrifying view, of the Holocaust.

Could the author have been a little less metaphorical, and more effectively to the point? Sure.
For example-
"For the book thief, everything was going nicely," Death observes, as the extermination camps flourish in the summer of 1942. "For me, the sky was the color of Jews." Wordy, sure. But it does leave a stark,vivid image in your mind.

But this story in itself, and the way Zusak marvelously toes the line of quiet horror and innocent joy and wraps it into this delightful endearing concoction, is definitely original and worth a read.
In fact, I'd go as far as to say that it is the contemporary "The Diary of Anne Frank".
I give it a 4 out of 5.

"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."

                   -The last line written by Liesel Meminger in "The Book Thief."