In September I asked a friend of mine what her favorite book was, and she told me it was The Book Thief. And since I’m interested in her, I thought reading her favorite book would help me understand her.
At first, I was put off by the writing style of Markus Zusak. It’s choppy, and there isn’t really a flow of words and descriptions. Instead, it is highly descriptive by character actions and emotions, “show not tell” writing to the extreme. And before I got attached to the characters, and still a little bit after I finished the book, I thought it was bland. Because it is highly predictable and has overused material.
A big part of the problem seems to be that the book isn’t meant to be entertaining so much. Instead, it is trying to make a point, which is that not all Germans are evil…
The book draws its power from an emotional appeal. You can feel like you are there with them, experiencing each event in the book thief’s life. It is like the author described in the book, getting the ending and what is ultimately going to happen out of the way by revealing it early and instead focusing on the characters. Readers aren’t reading to know what happens, they’re reading to see what she experiences at each moment.
It is definitely a different book from most. I wouldn’t recommend it (I’m sorry). But if you like broadening your reading variety, it’s a good option.