Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Introduction

Perhaps, most of us are too educated about the dreadful account of the Nazi Party rule in Germany and its commander-in-chief Adolf Hitler (aka the “Fuhrer”) who were responsible for dragging the German state into a war with the formidable Allies. Possibly, the history lectures during your schooling would have reflected it to you a few descriptions of how in the Nazi rule, the extermination of the Jews was hailed as a critical nation-building goal, supplemented by the overriding nationalist sentiments which fuelled the German populace to revenge the misdeeds of the world. ‘Misdeeds’ which included the societal and economic incapacitation of Germany by the imposition of restrictions by other countries, for the German state’s involvement in causing the WWI. 

But did your school lectures imprint in you an idea (even blurry for that matter) of how ‘people’ in Nazi Germany would have interacted, helped, been influenced, got killed or luckily survived, in the chaotic expanse which just happened to be their country. I think NOT.

The ‘people’ I mentioned earlier would not just include the ‘superior’ Aryan Race (of which the Fuhrer himself coveted to create a nation of), not just the Jews (who were the usual blameworthy souls in Germany in that era), not just the Communists (who, as per Hitler, were a symbol of threat to the idea of a better Germany), but also teenagers of differing ages who understood the eerie game of Hitler, the Germans who were humanly conscious of others’ miseries (the miseries of the Jewish populace) and lent them a helping hand when it was required.   And the word ‘people’ would also encompass soldiers who fenced the borders of the state as well as those fighting with the rivals of Germany in the WWII (Shhhh!!… Yes, many served the army not due to their nationalist character and pride, but because they did not want the Fuhrer to hurt their families).

This is how Markus Zusak through his historical fictional novel The Book Thief, strives to picturize a vivid notion of the chaos, which encapsulated Germany during the WWII.

Narrated by the Death itself, the story is based on the life of a German girl, Liesel Meminger, with her ‘communist’ mother coaxing her to stay in the Molching town (near Munich) with the prospective foster parents, Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann. Yes, it is the anti-communist movement helmed by the Nazi reign which has gripped Germany and has compelled the targeted people to forlornly abandon their children into the arms which probably might take care of them. If this were not enough, the girl is devastated by the sight of his younger brother, dying in front of her in the train facing its floor, while the girl and her mother are on their way to Molching.

It’s heavily bemusing for the girl to be at a juncture, where she wouldn’t have been in the first place. Nor does Liesel understand the reason for her mother leaving her with Papa (Hans) and Mama (Rosa), as she would call them. Though, her foster parents would prove to be too caring, with Papa, playing accordion and keeping vigil while she continuingly dreamt about her dead brother and screamed. And her Mama calling her ‘Saumensch’ (Hehe!!…It’s a German slang, but Mama calls her out of the love she has for the girl). 

Oh sorry! Did I mention that her Papa read to her? Yes, it was her Papa who taught her reading and not importantly her schooling. You might be thinking how does reading take an important view point in this sad yet ecstatic story. Okay, let me boil it down to you that it is the solace, which Liesel would find in thievery. THIEVERY of BOOKS. Why did she cherish books? It was because she would turn out to be those handful of souls in Germany who would understand the potency of WORDS. Words, which Hitler himself sold to the German people to rise to the power and then leading them to unconsciously destroy themselves.

How did the thievery start? Remember her dead brother? When he was being graved in a snowy soil somewhere in Germany with her mother and elder sister grieving, a book which was essentially a guide to grave digging, fell from the pocket of one of the diggers. The abandoned book then caught up with its new owner who did not know how to read, until it was the Papa who taught her the art of reading. The novel then extensively revolves around the instances of Liesel stealing books and reading them along with her Papa, the contents of the stolen books surprisingly converging with the moments which transpire throughout for her. She would then be given a perfect title by her close friend Rudy Steiner, The Book Thief.    

Engraved in the annals of history, the Fuhrer’s rule is incontrovertibly regarded as one that of diabolical perpetrations, and the novel suitably envisions the gruesome account of mighty number of people getting slaughtered between the war of nations, and the narrator, the Death, lavishly relishing the taste of souls in its vastly hands.

Takeaways

Though the novel elicits a vast sphere of emotions and compels the reader to experience them vicariously, only few of such striking moments have been in included in this post, for the reason of brevity. I concede that the novel visualises a slow-moving account of Liesel’s world, but it held my breath due to the super excitement deals of how the various characters are full of desperation, guilt, the results of ensuing war with some getting killed and some surviving.

Courage or Not? – I did not tell you the magnanimity of Liesel’s Papa, Hans Hubermann. He served the army in WWI, and survived the scare because a Jew named Erik Vandenburg saved his life, while he sacrificed his own. When post some twenty years, Max Vandenburg, the son of Erik Vandenburg, would present himself before the Hubermann’s abode, it will be Hans who would hide this Jew in his home, saving him from the torment which the Fuhrer’s men were doing to the Jewish groupings. The reward for this altruism? Hans would be called a ‘COWARD’ by his own son for reaching out to the needy Jews. Can you imagine the ‘COURAGE’ which a person would require to hide a Jew in his home, during the era of Nazi Germany??!!

Demagoguery Overloaded – The novel beautifully pushes you to gauge the extent of fear, appeal, destruction and promise-keeping that would have resided in German citizenry during the Hitler’s reign. The novel uses a striking resemblance of a silently watching audience doing nothing, when Jews are paraded in front of them, starving and gaunt-like. One would also experience the charm which Hitler enjoyed, with the people in town consistently yelling ‘Heil Hitler’ while greeting one another. Some yelled it as a fan base support to Hitler, others due to desperation and reluctance, and of course for dissipating any suspicion.

WAR; It hurts everyone – Well, it’s a fait accompli that Hitler was riding the blind support of millions of people. But this unwavering response of people to the Hitler’s call of revival of concept of Lebensraum (in short, a better Germany comprising of loyal citizenry), would have soon wavered when Germany actually went to war, as the novel tries to tell you this by measuring the human mess. People who earlier ‘Heiled Hitler’ enthusiastically, would have lost their enthusiasm when they would have seen their families suffering economically and bereft of their loved ones who sacrificed themselves into the war so instigated by the Fuhrer himself. In short, everyone suffered due to war, including Hitler’s supporters and their families, leading them to rethink - whether they were ‘humanly’ enough earlier to fight for Hitler??

Summing It Up

But one would ask, where is Liesel Meminger in this chaos?? The novel fascinatingly assures you her presence, where she gleams with serenity in the dark times by reading her stolen books to those who fear air-raids over the German town of Molching. For her thievery of books, she would later on write an account describing her life – about her arrival in Molching to the daunting wars into which Germany fell. About her mother, dead brother, Papa, Mama, Max and her friend Rudy. Yes, it was the account of The Book Thief!!

Lastly, the novel also fascinates the readers, through the many colours of the Narrator, the Death, which is extremely desirous of meeting Liesel Meminger, and take her soul in its arms to the heavenly abode. The novel ends on a note where the reader does not feel sorrowful, nor does the reader would be joyous at the culmination of events. For what I experienced, it’s a void. And the narrator, the Mighty Death, who earlier bragged about its omnipresence and being all-wise about humans, would read Liesel’s account of The Book Thief and say –

I am haunted by humans.