I chose this book because it fits perfectly with my running streak of historical fiction books from the last two Kate Moose books; it also fits perfectly with the heap of heart-wrenching books that connect more and remain in your head for a long time.
The book is set up in Nazi Germany during the second world war. The synopsis of the plot is that a nine-year-old Liesel comes to live with her foster parents in Munich when the second world war starts. Later, the family gives shelter to a Jew. The book explores the life of common people during the war and also highlights the atrocities committed by Hitler.
The book opens up with a girl scene of a boy dying on a train, and that sets up the expectations of the book. Later, it builds a beautiful world where happiness seems to be an everyday thing. But only to take it crashing down afterwards.
The story is narrated in a very unconventional manner (It is narrated by death). The words go to the core of your heart. The story possesses a sad brutality in the storytelling; for instance, it would shatter your heart into a thousand pieces and won’t feel even a tinge of guilt. In a way, it’s horrific. It sometimes builds a false anticipation that will scare you; then nothing will happen, and you will feel relieved. In this way, it will take you on a ride of emotions, making you laugh, scared, relieved, proud and, at last, sorrowful.
The pace of the book is excellent you can feel yourself hooked to the story. The environment is set up beautifully. The characters are explored in very depth. They are given a proper backstory to support their characteristics, and every action aligns with it. During the story, you can see the character building, especially the kids, influenced by events surrounding them, and all of this is expressed beautifully in the book. You will be proud to see how the kids have evolved throughout the story.
The one thing that, I think, sets this book apart is its psychological aspect. It explores the psychological impact of the war on common people as well as the survivors. The will to live is the strongest among all, but it feels unjustified at times, as it is mentioned explicitly in the book. The trauma that the characters carry, be it from years of oppression or death and separation from family in childhood, is reflected in their nightmares as well as daydreams. The strategic brainwashing of kids in school is also worth a point.
Overall, I loved this book. This like one of the book which will remain in my head for a long time. I will recommand it to everyone who will ask me for a decent book recommandation for starting book reading. I haven’t yet watched the movie, but I am going to do that soon. I am not excited about it because I know that books are always better than movies.