The Book Thief

It's About Books book club meets this coming Wednesday evening to discuss Markus Zusak's critically acclaimed book The Book Thief. This is the second time I have 'read' the Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Actually, this time, I listened to it. Zusak's story revolves around a 10 year old girl, Liesel Memminga and her foster family the Huberman's, in Munich Germany during a 4 year period of World War II. Liesel is the Book Thief of the title. She steals words, in part to help her cope with the upheaval of her life. It is so different when you hear the author's words, rather than read them yourself. It's something about the reader's inflection and tone that paints a picture that just reading can't. I could see the characters much more clearly this time than when I had just read it. While I liked the book when I read it, I Loved the book when I heard it. Zusak's language is beautifully poetic and descriptive despite the horrific subject of Nazi Germany. He captures for you the look and feel of war and death, of school girls and defiance and life and hatred, and the ordinariness of life during war. I found myself repeating the phrases of his language over in my head just as I looked at the sky or heard the birds singing in the morning. I definitely found myself being moved by this young girl's plight at the end of the story. This is not an easy book to read, let alone to hear but it is very moving and powerful. Some may even call this a very depressing story, but the beauty of the language makes it well worth the time.