A living death, some crazed Nazis and many stolen books

No one can claim that Markus Zusak’s bestseller, “The Book Thief,” has a bland beginning.

On page one, all-capitalized bold letters proclaim, “Here is a small fact: you are going to die.”

That blunt, jarring sentence grabs readers’ attention, sucking them into a poignant coming-of-age story that tops the New York Times’ young-adult bestseller list this week.

“The Book Thief,” in Zusak’s words, is about “a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter and quite a lot of thievery.”

It’s narrated by Death.

This unorthodox narrator starts by reassuring readers that he is not as morbid as we would expect.

He can, in fact, be cheerful, amiable, agreeable, affable and fair, but “just don’t ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me.”

Through vivid description and sly wit, Death tells the story of the book thief, Liesel — a headstrong girl growing up in World War II-era Germany. 

When the starving, poverty-stricken 9-year-old first arrives at the home of her foster parents, the Hubermanns, she cannot read a word.

But as Liesel grows up, words — from books she steals and from books she is given — start “to mean not just something, but everything.”

Her beloved words are her refuge as the war progresses and the true impact of the Fuhrer’s vision for Germany becomes apparent, changing her world forever.

I was originally reluctant to read “the Book Thief.” 

When it first became a bestseller in 2005, I thought it sounded too horribly depressing for me to enjoy.

I tend to gravitate towards books with feel-good endings when I read for fun.

The real world, as we all know, isn’t always cheerful.

In my lit choices, at least, I can guarantee a happy ending.

But despite the book’s dark subject matter — self worth, family strife, poverty, war, Nazism and inevitable death — once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down.

The novel manages to be engaging, heartwarming and, even at times, humorous.

Although I admit I did cry at the end, it’s still one of my favorite books today.

As the reigning champ of the bestseller’s list, and with a movie adaptation currently at the AMC Showplace 11 in Bloomington, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of this amazing novel.

­— jenfagan@indiana.edu

Follow reporterJenna Fagan on Twitter@jenna_faganIDS.