She-who-must-not-be-named 's Reviews > The Book Thief

Solid plot? Check
Strong emotions? Check.
Resolute characters? Check.
Compelling narration? Double check.

The writing engrossed me. The concept of death narrating the story was eloquently put forward. Often, when you have very high expectations from a book, you may end up getting disappointed. But this book proved to be quite the opposite and I loved it immensely.

The story follows a nine-year-old girl called Liesel Meminger who along with her brother Werner, given up by her mother, is taken to a small town called Molching to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann prior to the events of World War II. During the journey, Werner dies due to mysterious reasons, possibly poverty and poor health and Liesel sets off to bury him. That is when she steals her first book, even though she does not know how to read and it's only the first of what is going to be a series of thefts. She gets accustomed to her foster parents' house despite having nightmares about her dead brother, and eventually learns to read. Her obsession with books intensifies as war closes in and air raids begin- depriving her of people she's grown to love profoundly.

The book exemplifies the power of words, how they can be beautiful yet exceedingly soul shattering. Liesel is illiterate when she was first taken in, but as she continues to explore the world of reading, she begins to comprehend the impact Hitler's propaganda has and how he is the reason behind her parents' death.

"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."

She realises how manipulative words can be and tries to right them by writing for commiseration.

Overall, The Book Thief is a poignant and a heart rending tale and it's a surprise I'm still lucid. I rate this book five stars ✨