When sitting down to write this first blog post, I found myself at an impasse. There are so many books in the world of so many genres and styles and lengths. There are so many books that I love and could rave for days about and I struggled to choose one to begin this adventure. However, I kept coming back to one novel – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – which was truly the only fitting place for me to start.
First the colors. Then the humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try.
The traditional cover of The Book Thief
The Book
I read The Book Thief for the first time when I was twelve, and have reread it at least twice per year since then. I own three copies and can quote the majority of it from backlog. What type of book sticks with a preteen so strongly that it follows her for the rest of the life?
The answer is this one. The Book Thief follows Liesel, a young orphan who has recently moved in with new foster parents outside of Munich, Germany. As Liesel comes to terms with her burgeoning adolescence, she is also forced to come to terms with the setting of her childhood – Nazi Germany at the peak of World War II. She is aided by her foster parents (Hans and Rosa), her best friend and next-door neighbor (Rudy), and the young Jewish man her family is hiding (Max). Liesel’s story is told from the point of view of Death, though he is not the narrator you would expect him to be. He is, above all else, tired of his endless work and haunted by the humans he encounters.
Zusak’s style is contemporary and contemplative, utilizing the perfect mix of details and interpretations. His characters are multi-dimensional – characters you love are part of the Nazi party because they feel they have no choice – and force you to analyze them from all angles. This crafts the delicate dance of The Book Thief; additionally, it leaves you with a reading experience you will never forget. The novel avoids the common pitfalls and cliches of many World War II novels – the heroes still struggle and endure painful suffering – but still fully immerses the reader in the setting.
The Book Thief stands at a solid five out of five stars for me. In my mind, it will never be topped. Every time I read it, I find something new that I hadn’t seen before. There is always laughter and tears shed, no matter how many times I have subjected myself to the novel. There is also an extremely good movie adaptation that takes some creative liberties but stays very true to the ideas of the book.
The Bop
For each playlist I carefully curate, there will be fifteen songs. The first one will be “The Bop” – the overarching tune I’ve decided to analyze for that particular book.
The Book Thief‘s bop is “Saturn” by Sleeping at Last. Sleeping at Last specializes in hauntingly beautiful, contemplative songs that delve into the depths of the human condition. “Saturn” is no different – it revolves around the loss of a beloved mentor figure. There is a tinge of sadness over the loss, but also joy in a life well-lived and a whole lot of love. Barring spoilers, this aligns perfectly with Liesel and her continuous grapple with love and loss throughout her life – through death, war, Nazis, unrequited love, and everything in between.
So, to wrap it all up – read The Book Thief. You will be left with a melancholy feeling and a book slump that will feel impossible to get out of, but the story will stick with you forever – for “even Death has a heart”.
A last note from your narrator: I am haunted by humans.