The Book Thief

Typically, I wait until after a book club meeting to write about the books, but I typically I do not devour a 550 page novel in four days either. Even though our meeting is nearly a month away, I just had to write something about The Book Thief by Markus Zusak now, while it is still fresh.

This book was... I'm at a loss for words... wonderful. My heart sang and my heart wept-- sometimes simultaneously-- while reading. Though the heroine, Liesel Meminger, and I had little in common other than a love for books and words and knowledge, I feel as though she is part of me. I am mourning the end of this incredible story, and I know that the memory of it will stay with me for a long time.

Growing up, I loved historical fiction books, especially about young and vibrant women growing up in Nazi Germany. Though this novel fits that bill precisely, it is unlike any WWII or Holocaust story I've ever encountered. Zusak's portrayal of this well-known era and people was inspired. The characters were beautifully tortured-- each complex and so real I feel that I know them, or in some cases that I am them. 
The story was narrated by Death, which one might expect to be sinister or hokey, but Zusak made a familiar and likable figure even out of a feared entity.

This book shows the power of and freedom in words-- both in an era when books were burned and knowledge was warped and now when information is at one's fingertips and is taken for granted. It is an inspiration and a masterpiece!