It is 1939. In Nazi Germany, the country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier – and will become busier still. 

By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed forever when she picks up a single object, abandoned in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, and this is her first act of book thievery. So begins Liesel’s love affair with books and words, and soon she is stealing from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library . . . wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times, and when Liesel’s foster family hides a Jew in their basement, nothing will ever be the same again.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a book which has been adored by a lot of Bookstagrammers. So I have been eager to read it for a long time. I got the book a day before my birthday as a gift from my loved one. So I could not be happier. When I had read around 50 pages of the book, I realised the reason behind every praise.

The first thing which has got a hold on my heart is the narrator, death. Seeing a story through the perspective of death is indeed a different yet brilliant way of storytelling. And the second element which has stolen my heart is the protagonist, Liesel Meminger. She is lovable yet rough, strong yet weak, fearless yet afraid at the same time. Markus Zusak has created her with flaws and a lot more virtue. The third is indeed the plot itself. Even though these are the main reasons I love this book, the book left me in awe. I was speechless and left heartbroken after having finished the book.

Majority of novels based on the Holocaust often narrated in the perspective of German Jews. In this book, readers get to know how Hitler and his Nazi reign affected the commoners especially the non-Jews in Germany. And also how they conceived the Hitler’s agenda.

Each character has been well built. So they would stay in the reader’s mind even after finished reading the book. As I said earlier, death as a narrator brings a whole new perspective to even a simple piece of subjects like nature, colours, etc.

The end of the story lacerated my heart badly. I could not help myself refrain from crying. Dear readers if you are ready to be heartbroken then go for the book. Because it shows all the ugliness and terror of the second world war, unfortunately, we are still spectating such events today as well.

Since the book is unique in several aspects, so in writing. The author has written the story in an unconventional manner. Using German words, their meanings, handwritten scripts and drawings, the format are exceptional factors of the book.

I have got to know monstrous facts on the Nazi reign from an entirely different perspective. I have often heard about the plight of Jews during Hitler’s reign but non-Jews of Germany. It was true those people also suffered just like the Jews. They were forced to join the Nazi party, forced to praise Hitler, forced to hate Jews and forced to live according to Hitler’s agendas. They led a captive life but not in concentration camps. Indeed, they were also got killed during the war for the selfish motives of the dictator. The Book Thief sheds light on many unknown facts about Fuhrer’s barbarian rule. So it was an informative read for me.

The book has around 570+ pages, but when start reading it, you would glide through the pages. I highly recommend this book to everyone. A must read.