"The Book Thief"

All I could say when I finished this book was, "Wow." It isn't that this is the best book that I have ever read--I've enjoyed other books much more. It isn't that this is the most thrilling book I ever read--in fact, I put it down and then read and finished another book while I was in the middle of this book. However, The Book Thief might be the most beautifully written book I have ever read.

This is the story of a World-War-II-era orphaned child named Liesel Meminger who is taken to live with a working class family in Southern Germany. She brings with her The Gravedigger's Handbook, a book she stole at her younger brother's funeral. Her foster father helps her learn to read with this book, and soon she gathers other books from unlikely locations. These books become her friends and her anchors during difficult times. She makes other odd friends in her town, particularly Rudy, a boy who paints himself black and pretends to be Jesse Owens.

The most fascinating character in the book is the narrator--Death. He is a reluctant observer who, much to his regret, is spending a lot of time in Germany due to the war. His thoughtful and dispassionate observations give the reader pause and cause the reader to look at situations in a different way than usual. Death is truly a master of words and speaks with wisdom that comes with experience.

This book is being marketed to young adults, but I think it would take a very mature or sophisticated teenager to truly appreciate it. Death, violence, racism, and hunger are some of the main elements, but so are survival and finding beauty in the mundane. If you can get past the confusing first 10 pages or so, you will find this to be a powerful and moving novel. The beauty of this book brings tears to my eyes as I think about it. There are very few books that I would enjoy reading a second time, but I must say that my understanding and appreciation of this book would be sure to increase with a second reading. I look forward to it.