I’ve read books with narrators of all sorts, but I think reading a tale about a little girl as seen by the Angel of Death is a new one for me. You’d think that the Angel of Death might bring some nasty, dark twist to the whole thing, but he doesn’t. He’s absolutely lovely in his descriptions of things. He sees the world and people as colors and is saddened by the fact the more of us don’t see all of the colors the world has to offer. It is for that reason that he likes children. Only from the mouth of a child will you hear an innocent, colorful description that may or may not be grounded in reality.
“The Book Thief” centers on Liesel Meminger during World War II. Her father is a communist and she and her mother and brother must flee for safety. In the end, she is the only one we know to end up in a safe place. Her brother passes away and as the Angel of Death comes to retrieve his light soul, he becomes enamored by Liesel. Against all protocol for an angel of death, the Angel of Death keeps tabs on Liesel and her life.
What Zusak illustrates is how hard life was in small German towns during World War II beyond the death camps of which we know. In this story there is a duality of someone who is protecting a Jewish man but also becoming a Nazi soldier to save his family and trying to reconcile those differences, a girl who is seeing racism right up close and experiencing the lower-class families all around her watch their lives dissipate.
Liesel’s salvation is words. She is taught to read and thrives on reading. She helps others survive through her love of literature and it’s no coincidence on Zusak’s part that that the Angel of Death is so good with words himself.
“The Book Thief” is a wonderful book and a thought provoking read.
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