World War II stories have been told through the eyes of men, women and children, but never through the eyes of Death. That's Death, with a capital D. Mankind's inevitable fate is personified in Markus Zusak's ""The Book Thief"" in order to narrate the story of a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany.
""The Book Thief"" centers on the life of Liesel Meminger, who in the first few chapters is sent away with her younger brother to live with foster parents. Before reaching their destination, the boy falls ill and is carried away by Death. It is at her brother's burial that Liesel steals her first book, initiating a love for prose.
Liesel goes on living her new life in Molching, Germany, and as life gets tougher during times of crisis, her one true solace is in books. Her comfort comes not just by reading the books, but more significantly, from stealing them.
Zusak takes an out-of-the-box approach in writing ""The Book Thief"" by choosing Death to be its unorthodox narrator. Zusak gives Death a mind of his own, which is often revealed through the text as he digs deeper into Liesel's life, unable to contain his curiosity. While Death wears some human likeness, he is still not human. Death claims to be neither violent nor malicious.
""I am a result,"" Death reminds the readers. Don't ask Death to be nice and definitely do not ask him to change the course of events. This purposely established separation helps the story unfold without distraction. Death may have character, but he is not the protagonist of the story.
Death plays a crucial role in WWII and in Liesel's life, but he is still a mere teller of the tale. His focus is on Liesel, the people in Liesel's life, her feelings and experiences. Death wants the readers to get to know the girl. He exposes Liesel's thoughts with hope that the readers will understand her motives behind her actions.
Zusak is consistent in maintaining this separation. Rarely does Death take focus away from Liesel's story to place the attention on him. Death frequently opines and makes side comments while an event takes place. However, his comments are more helpful in moving the story along than they are distracting.
Having Death as a narrator does have its minor setbacks. True, the author has more freedom to be creative. Zusak can jump from writing about Liesel's life to describing what is simultaneously happening on the warfront. But, there is a little too much freedom.
Death already knows the ending of the story. In his impatience, he annoyingly gives away certain outcomes before the preceding incident actually happened. Death is without suspense.
""I don't have much interest in building a mystery. Mystery bores me. It chores me. I know what happens and so do you,"" Death remarks after revealing the fate of one of the main characters.
""The Book Thief"" does not weave the story together in chronological order, but rather is a piece-by-piece novel that the readers have to put together for themselves. Though the mystery is lacking, ""The Book Thief"" is still a remarkable story that will keep readers' attention. Zusak's interpretation and utilization of Death is both challenging and creative, making ""The Book Thief"" a commendable work.
