I go for a weekly book club at my local library and last month's book was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I was somewhat familiar with this book, since I've seen it at my book store numerous times but I was always reluctant to pick it up. After reading the synopsis, I just didn't think it was for me. I generally don't like to read about real life situations, especially when tragedy meets tragedy. I didn't expect to enjoy this book. I thought it would be one of those awful reads which is sad from beginning to end. Oh how I misjudged The Book Thief. The unconventional narrator was the first thing that caught my interest. How many books have you read which have been narrated by Death? Zusak did a great job of giving Death human qualities which almost made me sympathize with him as a reader. Although the general story line was as sad as I thought it would be, I was unable to put the book down. One of my favourite parts of the story was Liesel and Max's platonic friendship. There have been very few stories I've read with a male and female character developing an innocent relationship, having nothing to do with love, sex or intimacy. However, I couldn't help but wonder (by the very end of the book) if Max was Liesel's husband, as Zusak never made it clear to the readers who she married. Nevertheless, Zusak did a great job of delivering The Book Thief through simple language and a complex plot line. Anyone who enjoys stories about young children, accordions and a whole lot of thievery is sure to fall in love with this book.
Happy Reading!
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