Tolog Review: The Book Thief

The Book Thief 
by Markus Zusak
reviewed by Sarah Hanks

Set in Molching, Germany during World War II, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, examines life in a war torn town. Narrated by death, himself, the story entices readers with both its historical accuracy and its personal narrative. Seen through the eyes of Liesel Meminger, a young German girl, The Book Thief, shows Nazi Germany’s effect on the different people of the time. Liesel Meminger is joined on Himmel Street by her foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann, her friend Rudy Steiner, and a Jewish runaway staying in her basement, Max Vandenburg. The book shows the differences in life for the young, the old, the Nazi sympathisers, Nazi opposers, the Germans, and the Jewish people. The Book Thief, allows the reader to relax into the everyday routine of Liesel while simultaneously waiting for tragedy to strike.

The Book Thief begins with death, the narrator, introducing himself and pushing the reader into the life of Liesel Meminger. Liesel is given to the Hubermann’s when her own mother can no longer care for her. She suffers from nightmares every night but it is not until she wets the bed does Hans Hubermann begin to teach her how to read, a turning point in the story, “People have defining moments...for others it’s a moment of bed-wetting hysteria.” (Zusak 62). Liesel’s love for reading and books only grows from this point on. She steals her first book involuntarily, and even the second book is only stolen due to a moment of opportunity, however, she begins to make stealing a habit on excursions with her friend, Rudy Steiner. If Liesel’s life was not already hectic enough, a Jewish refugee makes his way into her basement and presents a new set of problems for herself and her family. Max Vandenburg, the son of a friend of Hans’, is, at first, an uncomfortably accepted guest but he soon becomes an instillation of the family, “Now I think we are friends, this girl and me.” (237). The book reminds the reader, love can come from unexpected places.

The Book Thief, enchants the reader with its amusing narration, refreshing point of view, and its timeline of World War II. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a historical fiction book that balances serious topics and entertaining storylines. The reader is taken through a tumultuous time in history with death as a guide and a young girl as the eyes.