The Book Thief

            I rarely forget any of the books I read. I can recall the main character, plot and resolution to almost every book I've ever read. The characters, from that Loudest Little Lion to TeaCake and even Gilgamesh run around my head in a never ending 400 meter race (of course, if it's never ending then it must be more than 400 meters, but that is well beside the point). Those plots hang in my head on an endless dream catcher that takes up too much space on my cerebral cortex. Other than English test settings,  this talent doesn't serve a purpose other than clutter. And with my habit of forgetting homework assignments and losing dorm keys, I could definitely use less clutter.

Sometimes though, I like it.

After reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, I thanked God for a mental filtering system that chooses books over key locations.

Really, and I mean this with the greatest emphasis -- we're talking bold, italics, and OVERSIZED -- really, this is one of the best books I have read all year, and probably beyond that. 

Why:

     The Book Thief is a Young Adult WWII novel, and proves that there are endless lessons to be learned from the mid twentieth century. The story follows the life of a young German girl who is forced into a foster home after her parents are discovered as communists and taken away by the Nazis. The girl, Liesel, is illiterate when the story begins but discovers endless possibilities once the world of words is opened up to her. This novel covers all bases -- hiding a Jew, being sent off to war, the threat of bombing raids, tender family moments, and even a tiny, tiny bit of romance. Oh, and it is narrated by Death.

You might think Death might not be an ideal narrator, but place your fears of morbidity aside. The Death narration is actually one of the most compelling elements to the novel, and, in an ironic turn, is often the only source of perspective and comic relief in some otherwise horrendous moments. 

         However, I won't sell Zusak short - his novel is not built on a quirky narrator. Death is just another voice among a cast of the most compelling characters I have ever met. An accordion playing Papa and a foul mouthed Mama prove not to be the model of perfect German parenthood, but rather models of real parental love. Max, the Jewish fist fighter, and Rudy, the German Jesse Owens-wannabe, are the best friends imaginable. Each main character, and even the minor ones, prove to be round and come alive as the reader embraces their unique, believable, quirks.

             Beyond The Book Thief's characters, its format is the picture of post modern literature. Death not only narrates the story of Liesel, but includes announcements, definitions, plot spoilers, and even a few pages from his own diary. Other stories, written by the characters, are included in their entirety, with illustrations. Such blending of formats causes the tale to take a dynamic feel with almost every turn of the page. In a book over 500 pages long, Zusak keeps your attention. 

        The writing is as dynamic as the format. His prose, while not wholly poetic, is fascinating by merit of his awesome, amazing, and astounding descriptions. Really, some of the metaphors he wrote created new connections in my mind. I could feel my neural synapses burning.

Here is an excerpt that I really love (and doesn't contain any spoilers, a hard thing to do):

"His soul sat up. It met me. Those kinds of souls always do - the best ones. The ones who rise up and say "I know who you are and I am ready. Not that I want to go, of course, but I will come." Those souls are always light because more of them have been put out. More of them have already found their way to other places."

     The last, and most important, reason why I love this book:

It has been several years since a book made me cry; I cried, hard, for the last twenty-something pages of the book. And it wasn't just a sad ending that pushed my tear ducts to the brink -- it was the lesson I learned about the power of words, death and life.

 Amazing cover. I need this edition.

Okay, okay. I guess it's true. I kind of really liked the book.