“A small fact: You are going to die…. Does this worry you?” The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak is not your average historical fiction novel; it’s a New York Times bestseller and has won the Kathleen Mitchell Award. What really surprised me at first was how much content Zusak fit into the story, considering that the plot revolves around Germany in World War 2. It’s one thing to write about a boy who stumbles upon a magical object or siblings who enter a magical closet leading to a fantasy land, but it’s definitely another to write about a sad and long story centered around Nazi Germany, narrated by Death itself. Zusak sheds light on the unexpected characters of this major war. 

The Book Thief tells the story of a little girl, Liesel Meminger, who was adopted into a German family in World War 2, and how she grows over time. Meanwhile, it is all narrated not by Liesel or any other character in the book, but by the being of Death. When first reading the book, I didn’t see any theme or message displayed. However, after analyzing the book further, I saw how Zusak surreptitiously inserted multiple themes in the deep canyons of the pages, such as the kindness and cruelty of humans, and the power of words. Zusak made sure that the geographical and historical statements/features were accurate throughout the story. He also took inspiration from the World War 2 stories that his parents told him about as a child. In an interview with Book Page magazine, he says, “Two stories really affected me. My mother talked about Munich being bombed. Everything was red, and the sky was on fire. The other was seeing Jewish people being marched to Dachau…”  In the same interview, he also states, “But I knew scenes almost word for word, and wrote them as I pictured them growing up. Last year, I went to Germany to check everything.”   

While most of the book was stupendous, there was one thing I did not enjoy. Most of the characters weren’t fleshed out and weren’t three-dimensional, with the exception of Rudy and Hans.  They mostly were a collection of stereotypes and dry characteristics, and were pretty bland literature wise. Most of these people didn’t really come alive for me as I hoped they would, and it wasn’t easy for me to feel any remorse and sadness for them. However, it could be because the book is around a solid 550 pages, and that the reader focuses too much on actually finishing it then reading and analyzing the content. If you don’t enjoy reading books that are long and take around a month and a half to finish, I highly suggest not reading this one, as you’ll get bored by the 300th page. Nothing’s perfect, and I didn’t expect this book to be consummate whatsoever.

Besides the one thing that I didn’t like, the book was well thought out, and I saw World War 2 from a completely different pair of eyes. I read about how German citizens were gripped by the iron hand of Nazi Socialism, and how many German people didn’t necessarily believe in the idea of mass genocide and war. I’m Jewish and have family that served in World War 2, and until I read this book, had one view about the people of Germany at that time. That was the most important part of this book for me. Zusak is so skilled in putting the reader in the shoes of the most unexpected people. You can see that in not only this book, but many others of his, such as I am the Messenger, which I also recommend. Along with that, Zusak's descriptions are beyond breathtaking. An exemplary example of this is, “At that moment you will be lying there. You will be caked in your own body. There might be a discovery; a scream will dribble down the air. The only sound that I will hear after that will be my own breathing, and the sound of the smell, of my footsteps.” Throughout the book, I felt as if I was a character, because the descriptions of the setting and plot by Markus Zusak were so accurately described.

Overall, this book really satisfied my hunger for phenomenal literature. It was one of a kind, different from all the other historical fiction books that I’ve read. I was assigned this book in the seventh grade, and thought it would be the most boring thing ever. Boy was I wrong. The Book Thief changed my perspective of World War 2, and even literature in general! Zusak introduced me to a new and exquisite writing technique that goes so well with any reader’s or writer’s palette. The book is also a fun little mystery, as you have to read more carefully to find the themes, which can help you to understand the plot better. The Book Thief, in my opinion, should be assigned to every school around the world, as it raises awareness of the Holocaust and brings higher interest toward morals and equality. Once again, this novel was great, and hit on all cylinders of writing criteria. I recommend this book to all who are reading this review.