I've read many novels in my time but once in a while a novel comes along that stays with you long after you close it's pages. The novel that had this effect on me was The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier and the second is the Book thief by Markus Zusak. It is perhaps no coincidence that both novel are set around world war two, the former at it's conclusion and the later at it's beginning.
At it's heart the novel is a celebration of the written word and this is highlighted on almost every page. It resounds in every experience our heroine has, and if I ever have the opportunity to meet the author I will simply thank him for capturing the emotion I feel whenever I read or write.
The story is about Liesel, who at the graveside of her brother finds a book titled The Gravedigger's handbook which was left behind by accident. This is her first act of book thievery and it begins a love affair with books and words and via her accordion playing foster father Liesel learns to read, but growing up in the middle of Nazi Germany brings with it many dangers especially when her foster family are hiding a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement and her world is both opened up and closed down.
What sets this novel apart from other historical novels is Zusak's choice of narrator, but given the setting and time frame of the novel on reflection it makes perfect sense. Having Death narrate the story neatly highlights the horrors of war and the senseless deaths of millions of innocents. The novels depiction of death is also at odds with how this unavoidable event has been depicted in the past, rather than something to fear it is portrayed as a positive experience and Death no longer a skeleton with a scythe but just someone who is doing his job and looking for distractions, the book thief and her circle of friends fills that role.
This novel deserves to be classified a classic and has easily become one of my favourite reading experiences of all time. It is definitely a novel I will be revisiting again and again. Highly Recommended!
