Long back, I made a list of must-reads books. It was a very random list containing a variety of genres. During this lockdown, I was determined to get to the end of the list (so that I can make a new list, of course). As I was ticking off the books one by one, my pen finally made it to The Book Thief.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is unlike anything I’ve read before. For starters, the narrator of the book is Death. I was skeptical as I started reading this one. When the narrator is Death, and the plot is set in Nazi Germany, staring at the start of World War 2, there can’t be anything happy coming of it, can it?
I was in for a surprise. This book has a very feel-good air about it. Of course, everyone dies. 1939-brink of World War 2-Hitler everywhere – what else can we expect? Oh, ya.. the narrator is Death.
Liesel Memiger is a girl of ten when her mom leaves her in the care of the Hubermanns, at Himmel Street, a poor section of Munich. Hans and Rosa Hubermann, the owners of 33 Himmel Street, are as different from each other as possible. While Hans is the calm one, Rosa is an explosive on a short fuse. Life at the Hubermanns involves a lot of swearing, as Liesel finds out early. So much so that when you do not hear an expletive, it means something is wrong.
A little backstory-
On the train journey to Munich, Liesel has her first encounter with Death. Her younger brother dies. And Liesel commits her first theft. She steals her first book from the gravediggers as her brother is put to rest.
Liesel soon gets acclimatized to life at Himmel Street. Her Papa Hans is a painter by day and an accordionist by night. And he is one of the nicest men you’ll encounter within the 580 odd pages of the book. Papa Hans has the kindest silver eyes and a heart of pure gold. He will not stop helping anyone in need. A trait that gets him in trouble, not just once. Mama Rosa, on the other hand, is a loud woman who loves swearing. She does laundry for the rich people of Munich and has a voice that can be heard at the end of the street. Though Hans and Rosa seem to be people of two completely different characters, they are pure at heart and don’t stop helping anyone in need.
Liesel starts going to school with the other kids of Himmel Street. But she soon realizes that she is way behind kids of her age and cannot read. And so begin her night lessons with her Papa, where she starts reading the first book she stole – The Gravediggers Handbook. Slowly, she makes progress and completes the book. After a lot of re-reading of the same book, she begins her illustrious career as a book thief and steals more.
All the while that Liesel is making progress in reading, she also makes friends with the fellow residents of Himmel Street. One of them is Rudy Steiner. Rudy the Rebel. He is like a breath of fresh air in the otherwise-stale streets of Himmel. Rudy, who idolizes Jesse Owens and paints himself black from head-to-toe. Rudy, who gets smacked for standing up to a bully. Rudy, who climbs fences so that Liesel could steal a book (and something to eat for him). Rudy, who feeds bread to the Jews being marched away to detention camps. Rudy, who wants nothing else from Liesel but a kiss. Rudy, who, along with everyone else on Himmel Street, gets snuffed away by Death, in his sleep…
Just when you think life is getting mundane, enter Max Vandenburg. Max is a Jew. A Jewish fighter (in every sense). He is an acquaintance of Hans and comes to Himmel Street looking for shelter. Hans and Rosa, being the altruists they are, hide him in their basement. The camaraderie that develops between Max and Liesel is heartwarming. So much so that you wish things were different. You wish there were no Hitlers. You wish there were no bombings. You wish World War 2 didn’t happen. You wish Death didn’t have to visit Himmel Street.
But all these happen. Death, as they say, is inevitable.
The Book Thief is a beautiful book. A poignant read. Tears will flow as they should. But amidst all the tears is hope for a better tomorrow.
I am haunted by humans – says Death, as one says goodbye to The Book Thief. No wonder!
The Invisibility Cloak 