Tolog Review: The Book Thief

The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
reviewed by Emily Cupo

The historical fiction novel The Book Thief is a thought-provoking page turner by Markus Zusak, following a young girl’s day to day navigation of life in the increasingly dangerous times in Nazi Germany during the early 1940s, taking place over the span of roughly four years. Narrated by Death, readers are given a very unique perspective, often switching focus to and from different characters to gain a new understanding of certain situations. 

Liesel Meminger, the main character, enters the story as an illiterate, naïve ten-year-old moving in with two foster parents because her parents lacked the financial stability to provide the best care for her and her younger brother, Warren, who passed away very shortly into the story. The Hubermann’s, Liesel’s foster parents, take her in and her foster father, Hans Hubermann, soon realizes the deficit her illiteracy causes many issues and begins slowly teaching her to read. While developing a passionate love for reading and attempting to fit in, Liesel forges a special friendship with Rudy Steiner, a nearby neighbor. Through juvenile trickery, rebellion, and a little thievery Rudy and Liesel quickly become best friends. The introduction of Max Vandenburg into Liesel’s life is one of the many formative experiences that occur over the course of the story. Max, a Jewish man attempting to escape Hitler’s wrath and concentration camps, escapes from his current town to Molching, Germay, where the Hubermann’s and Liesel reside. Due to the urgency of his escape and the danger he put Liesel’s family in, Max’s presence at the Hubermann household was a “secret that was buried deep” (212), both of Liesel’s parents having her vow to never tell another soul. Though originally in a very dilapidated, distraught state, Max gradually becomes good company for Liesel, as she is often found practicing reading to him and scavenging the occasional newspaper for him as he is concealed in the Hubermann basement. The title “the book thief” is what death refers to Liesel as while he recounts the events of her story, though it was first said by Rudy one night when he bids farewell saying, “goodnight book thief”, after they steal a story together. Liesel’s allegiance to her country in turmoil, her new family, and her friends is tested repeatedly throughout the novel, and plays a role in her coming of age.

Zusak’s work is nothing short of phenomenal. The general concept of having the story narrated by death affected the mood of the story as a whole and gave it a more profound meaning, with a longer lasting effect. Speaking often in verbal irony, the narrator gave this book an often humorous outlook on rather gruesome situations. A personal deep interest in the Holocaust compelled me to read The Book Thief, though I believe it would be a suitable, enthralling story for readers of any age. I would specifically recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical or suspenseful novels, because it would be a fascinating piece of work for anyone who prefers those genres.