BENGALURU: Ten years after Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief hit the stands, bibliophiles in the city continue to cherish memories of it.
The story, set during the World War II and with the holocaust for its backdrop, is narrated by Death – a character who surprisingly lifts the gloom with its wit, sometimes to the point of being chatty.
It even leaves short notes for readers in between chapters: “A Small Piece of Truth -- I do not carry a sickle or a scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it’s cold. And I don’t have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance. You want to know what I truly look like? I’ll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue.”
Karuna Chandwani, English editor at DigiCaptions, was fascinated by the style of narration. “It is not religious at all. It isn’t frivolous either. As you read, you begin to imagine what death would look like,” she says.
The main character, nine-year-old Liesel Meminger, is given away by her mother, a communist on the run in Nazi Germany. Rosa and Hans Hubermann, a couple of humble means, agree to be her foster parents. Along the way, the girl steals a book that falls from the pocket of the gravedigger’s apprentice who buries her brother.
Hans, an ageing man with kind, silver eyes, teaches her to read the book. She enjoys the activity immensely and finds in her the urge to steal more books.
Karuna relates to the character as she admittedly used to steal books from a library when she was younger. “I have been learning German and the book introduced me to some new words from the Nazi lingo.”
The plot thickens when Liesel’s foster family shelters Max Vandenburg, a Jew, in their basement. “This part reminds me of Anne Frank (The Diary of a Young Girl),” she adds.
The Book Thief is proof against the claim that there are no more stories to be written about the holocaust, says Anindhita Ramachandran, assistant editor at a publishing house.
She read the book in her first year of college and got three others to read it afterwards. “This is a testament to how books and reading have the power of passing down powerful memories, especially those of events like the holocaust that must never be forgotten.”
Another bibliophile, Sanjana Karthik, says the book makes for a perfect gift. “I think I’ve bought it for close to 20 people. Most loved it, while a few found it cheesy,” she shares.
Akash K J Bhat, an aspiring writer, says the book is about the beauty in everyday things. “The story takes place in a time of scarcity and misery, and yet the author manages to find little pockets of joy in the lives of these characters.”
Spoiler Alert!
The Book Thief got Amreen Fathima into the habit of reading. The school teacher, after finishing the novel, picked up the Harry Potter series.
Rudy Steiner, Liesel’s neighbour and love interest, dies tragically towards the end.
In the words of Death, “She leaned down and looked at his lifeless face and Leisel kissed her best friend, Rudy Steiner, soft and true on his lips. He tasted dusty and sweet. He tasted like regret in the shadows of trees and in the glow of the anarchist’s suit collection. She kissed him long and soft, and when she pulled herself away, she touched his mouth with her fingers...She did not say goodbye. She was incapable, and after a few more minutes at his side, she was able to tear herself from the ground. It amazes me what humans can do, even when streams are flowing down their faces and they stagger on...”
“I found it very difficult to accept that and go on to read the final pages,” says Amreen.
Like her, many other readers couldn’t digest that part of the story. Fan-fiction writers have come up with alternative endings, in which Rudy and Liesel do get together.
The book adapted into a movie in 2013, though many fans think it doesn’t do Zusak’s work justice. “I read somewhere that he studied German to get the history bit right,” says Karuna.