Set in Nazi Germany during the late 1930’s, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl growing up during WWII. The depth in which this novel soars to restricts the audience that this book is geared towards. It is a breathtaking story that centers around experience of Liesel, all of which is narrated by Death, who vividly describes how the world is full of both selfless love and selfish hatred during such a time.
     

Following the traumatic loss of her brother and mother, Liesel is sent to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann, who have taken her in as their foster child. As the story develops, we learn of the many struggles that the family faces, both financially and emotionally, during the years of the war. Through Liesel’s journey to self-discovery, she finds herself stealing books as a coping mechanism to fill her heart, despite all of the destruction that is tearing apart her country. As the hope for world peace decreases and the death toll of the Holocaust increases, Liesel and her new family must find a way to stay afloat as the world around them is drowning in war.
     

The perspective from which the story is told found to be fascinating. Death is not typically a figure who narrates a novel, however in The Book Thief, it is perfectly fitting that Death plays the role of the narrator, as it is said that death and war are best friends. In addition to the narrator being a such unique character, the viewpoint of it all is not what a reader would expect. Many books that are set during the second world war focus on the story of a Jewish child or family, whereas The Book Thief is based off of the life of a non-Jewish community. Hearing a story from the other side of the fence is an aspect of this novel that makes it a must-read.
     

The Book Thief is not your typical historical-fiction novel, which is arguably the most engaging feature of the story. Although it requires its readers to have a certain sense of maturity and openness to abstract perspectives, Markus Zusak’s compelling words create an emotion-triggering tale that everyone should read at some point in their life.