I had no idea how long this book was! I purchased it for my kindle kind of on a whim when I heard that a film was being made of it, and started to read it a few pages at a time about a week or two before the Easter holidays. But I'd never (and still haven't) seen a paper copy of it, and boy is it long!
But I have got to say, 'The Book Thief' is one of the best books I have read in a while. It attracted me instantly because it was based on a real historical period of time. I've just finished (literally my exam was today!) studying my Higher History and we did a lot of work on WW1, but from a Scottish perspective. I found it fascinating to read about the kind of experiences faced in Germany.It could be argued that Zusak makes the book too long, as not every part seems crucial to the tale and there are quite lot of back stories and things that feed off from the main thread. However, I urge anyone reading 'The Book Thief' and thinking this to please keep reading until the end. I don't want to give away too much, but lets just say that the last chapter before the Epilogue had me in tears, because, without really realising, you become extremely attached to the characters created. It's this that makes me believe that Zusak is a genius, and this novel is a must-read.
I think an important thing for me to mention is Zusak's extremely unique style. The book is narrated by Death, though this isn't particularly obvious from the start. For me, it was a case of suspecting that it was narrated by death, before having it confirmed later on, but never outright stated. I felt this was an unusual approach, but fitted quite nicely into the story's makeup as it went on. However, I thought the opening few pages, before the real story of a little girl with a fascination for words begins, were a bit strange, as though you are supposed to gather some deep meaning from them but at an initial read sound like a load of mumble jumble psychological nonsense! But once the other characters, as opposed to just the narrator, are introduced, I was hooked!
Another thing that Zusak tends to do in his writing style is to be one of those authors that jumps around in the story, telling you what is to come before it does. In some books, this annoys me, but in 'The Book Thief' it came to be something I just accepted, WITH ONE EXCEPTION!! Despite me not needing any more prompting to cry, I think it was wrong for Zusak to tell the reader of an event near the end a couple of chapters before it occurred, because it was unnecessary to the appreciation of the story as a whole, and, had it been omitted, the effect of a very emotional chapter would have been unexpected and even more heart-wrenching.
A final point on style: Zusak, as death, chooses to leave little notes for the reader throughout the novel. This is hard to describe for someone who's not read it, bust he basically interrupts his telling of the story with a little heading and a note about something, or a quote, or something strange like that! Although some of these little notes were a bit pointless, in my opinion, some of them added to your insight into the story and so it was a clever little style technique which I hadn't seen before and which almost shouldn't have worked, but did anyway!
If I was to pick a favourite character, it would probably be Rudy, a young boy with a big heart and a really genuine personality. I think Zusak does an excellent job of creating both principal character Liesel and her best friend Rudy and in allowing the reader to share in their childhood and in their lives as they grow up. However, I also love the character of Hans Huberman, Liesel's 'Papa'. He's something special and, to me, he feel real, because I could picture my version of him in my head, right down to his mannerisms and tone of voice!
'The Book Thief' also has two messages running through. Actually I think it probably has many messages, but these are the two that jumped out at me; the importance of family, and the importance of words. These are two things that are really close to my heart and so I could especially relate and feel included in the world of Liesel Meminger.
I think I've said all I wanted to say about 'The Book Thief'. I admit it will take you a while but I strongly urge you to read it. It's just wonderfully written and a real treat to read, and it captures the life of one young mind in a wartime German village in a way that makes you feel like you were there.
If you do read, let me know what you think. Similarly, if you watch the film, leave a comment, as I've missed it in the cinema and will probably watch it on DVD, but want to know if it will live up to my expectations?!
Catriona xx
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