Death, Brutality, and Beauty

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak illustrates a story with a pile of stolen books, a collection of colours that hardly fade, and a series of words woven in a simple yet delicate manner.

In the 1930's-40's Nazi German, wars and death have never been more frequent. Liesel Meminger, a child of a Communist family, has been deprived of her one and only brother, her mother, and a father she has never known of by the age of 9. With nothing but sorrow and a stolen book, she arrives on Himmel Street, Molching, and starts her life with her foster parents, the Hubermanns. 

In her four years of childhood on the Himmel Street, Liesel encounters a boy with lemon-coloured hair, a Jewish fist fighter who has hair like black feathers, a constantly depressed woman who owns an immense library, and a group of fanatical Nazi soldiers. Liesel's world is changed forever by Papa (Hans Hubermann), an accordionist and a painter, who has taught her letters and kindness, and has provided her the security she longs the most. Liesel's life is also influenced by Ilsa Hermann, whose library is a great source of Liesel's stolen books. Ilsa gives Liesel an opportunity to pursue her passion and love for books, and encourages her to write her own.

The book emphasizes that words have both the unimaginable power to create chaos and misery, and the ability to heal and save a person's soul. The magic of words fascinates Liesel, yet she can't deny her controversial feeling of hating and loving them at the same time. In fact, the Book Thief itself is a piece of art with its deep and lyrical writing. The unique narration by Death creates vivid imagery that illustrates the ordinary life a German girl, and makes the story a truly extraordinary masterpiece. 

After I finished reading the story during the summer, I have always wanted to express my affection for the novel and my gratitude for Markus Zusak for telling a story in such a beautiful way. The simplicity of writing and the twists in plot have presented me with brutality and beauty of both living and death. The Book Thief has altered my attitude toward language forever.