Markus Zusak: The Book Thief

Here is a small fact: you are going to die. So says Death, the narrator of Markus Zusak's novel, The Book Thief.

The story begins with this ominous piece of information, delivered by an irreverent (and a tad overzealous) Grim Reaper. Best known for his
children's books, Zusak, an award-winning Sydney writer, has chosen a serious topic for his first adult novel.

At the grave site of her younger brother, 9-year-old Liesel Meminger spots a book in the snow, The Gravedigger's Handbook. Death watches on as Liesel's "illustrious career" as a book thief begins and will several years later snatch the book of Liesel's life story from the rubble of a bombed city.

It is 1939 in Nazi Germany and Death is extremely busy. If you are not instantly put off by the thought of having Death narrate a story about a little girl growing up in Germany during World War II, then The Book Thief will surprise you with its endearing tale.

"It's just a small story really, about, among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery."

After her father is deemed a communist by the Nazis, Liesel's mother delivers her to a small town on the outskirts of Munich to the poor but loving Hubermann household.

A kind-hearted accordion-playing painter and a foul-mouthed laundrywoman raise Liesel as one of their own. On Himmel St, Liesel spends her days with a motley crew of friends and develops a penchant for stealing: apples, potatoes and books (her favourite).

Whether bought with rationed cigarettes, surreptitiously taken from a Nazi book-burning, stolen from the mayor's library or written for her by the Jewish man her foster family hides, every book that crosses Liesel's path is treated with obsessive care.

Books become a way to deal with grief. Liesel also extends the power of words to others in Himmel St, as they attempt to come to terms with the destruction of war.

The Book Thief is Zusak's first attempt at adult fiction, but his experience as a children's writer can be acutely felt. His characters are sensitively conceived and depicted — almost as if they have stepped out of a fairy tale.

And although Death is dour as a narrator (he runs his mouth with as much fervour as he wields his scythe), the story truly belongs to the resilient spirit of young Liesel. Zusak, who uses some true events told to him by his European parents, has penned a simple and compelling story.

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* Gail Bailey is an Auckland reviewer.