"ɪ ɢᴜᴇꜱꜱ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴅᴇꜱᴛʀᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. ꜱᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴀꜱᴛʟᴇꜱ, ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴀʀᴅꜱ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ’ꜱ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʙᴇɢɪɴ. ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ꜱᴋɪʟʟ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴄᴀᴘᴀᴄɪᴛʏ ᴛᴏ ᴇꜱᴄᴀʟᴀᴛᴇ."

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is a Historical Fiction piece that follows (mostly) a girl growing up in the fictional town of Molching, Germany. This beautifully written book is narrated by Death, who leads us through the life of a girl they call "the book thief."

"ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ. ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʜɪꜱ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴀʟʟ ᴏꜰ ɪᴛ. ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜʀꜰᴀᴄᴇ: ᴜɴꜰʟᴀᴘᴘᴀʙʟᴇ, ᴜɴᴡᴀᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ. ʙᴇʟᴏᴡ: ᴜɴɴᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ, ᴜɴᴛɪᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴᴅᴏɴᴇ."

It is hard to describe the tone of this novel. The imagery and prose used throughout are touching and very unique, including Death's constant highlights of the color of the sky during key moments of our story. The characterization throughout is phenomenal, and I felt such a strong range of emotions while reading it—more than I have while reading any other book.

What struck me so much about this book was how it absolutely blew away my expectations of a Holocaust story. We follow characters in their lives on the periphery of the events, seeing a neighborhood's experience through the experiences of a young girl growing up with a foster family.

We experience visceral decisions and moments, from the dangers of being kind to Jews in Nazi Germany to the emotional repercussions of war. You experience these things parallel to a book-devouring girl just trying to grow up and understand the world around her.

"ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇ ꜱᴍɪʟɪɴɢ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴀ ꜱʟᴀᴘ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ. ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ꜰᴏᴜʀ ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴀ ᴅᴀʏ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜꜱɪɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴏꜰ ʜɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴊᴇᴡ."

I'm struggling to describe to you the exact way this book made me feel. I felt so intimately invested in these characters and the little slice of the world they lived in. I was extremely emotionally moved by the characters' experiences in the book. I still am reeling from some of the gorgeously crafted prose the author uses to not only tell his story but also to help ease you into the true tragedies that do occur within the novel.

I can't recommend this as required reading enough - even if it is the one historical fiction you read this year, please add it to your list.

"***ᴀ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ɴᴏᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛᴏʀ***
ɪ ᴀᴍ ʜᴀᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ."

Quotes:

"ɪɴ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ, ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀ ɢɪᴠᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ʙʀᴇᴀᴅ, ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ꜱᴛᴇᴀʟᴇʀ—ᴘʀᴏᴏꜰ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴅɪᴄᴛᴏʀʏ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ʙᴇɪɴɢ. ꜱᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ɢᴏᴏᴅ, ꜱᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴇᴠɪʟ. ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀᴅᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ."

“ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ɢɪʀʟ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀꜱ ꜱʜᴇ ꜱʟᴏᴡʟʏ ᴄʀᴏꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴᴠᴀꜱ, ʜᴇ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴛᴇᴀʀ ᴛᴏʀɴ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ʜᴇʀ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴄʜᴇᴇᴋ. ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡꜱᴘᴀᴘᴇʀ. “ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴏꜱꜱᴡᴏʀᴅ,” ꜱʜᴇ ɢᴇɴᴛʟʏ ꜱᴀɪᴅ, “ɪꜱ ᴇᴍᴘᴛʏ,” ᴀɴᴅ ꜱʜᴇ ʜᴇʟᴅ ɪᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ. ᴅᴀʀᴋ. ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʙᴜᴛ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ɴᴏᴡ. ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʙᴀꜱᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ. ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴊᴇᴡ."

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5