The Book Thief

The Book Thief is one of those rare books that are bursting at the seams with life. It is dangerously addictive and haunting. The words are beautifully brewed and poured out-- have but a little and you will feel drunk. Stories of sunlit childhood days are not exactly rare (think Heidi, The Kite Runner) but what makes The Book Thief different is the sense of dread that pervades the most dazzlingly beautiful of moments. The story is narrated by Death and so you know how the story must end but, like the characters, you bask in the uneasy warmth and let yourself be lulled into a sense of comfort. The author, Markus Zusak, talks about the power of words-- he is not a stranger to the idea. His words carve themselves into the most resonant expressions. His words paint themselves into images of a girl, a stolen book, a library, a street, a fist-fighter, an accordionist, a boy who wants to be Jesse Owens and most importantly, the travelling shadow called Death who is as helpless, as miserable and as horrified as his victims. The Book Thief is a book that deserves to be read aloud, not only for the musical quality of its words but also for the colour that hides in its every page. Death likes to distract himself with colours, with stories and with humour. The last is present in great abundance. The humour is grim and premonitory of a dark future but it soothes nonetheless. In the end, Death finds the story of the eponymous book thief and takes it with him in all his travels. He finds the story to be a good distraction in all his hopeless voyages and by the end of the book, you can't help but agree.