Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I was surprised when I heard that this book was being made into a movie because the book in itself is quite anti-climactic. It is safe to say that I have never read such a book in my entire life- told in the way it was; so brave for an author to actually at times to reveal the end, without worrying about the reader feeling shortchanged. After all, the whole point of a book is to know what happens at the end.

But the whole point of 'The Book Thief' is to enjoy the journey Zusak affords you. Set in Nazi Germany in World War II, the book is a look at the futility of war and genocide from the eyes of a young girl. The book moves forward at a leisurely languid pace; the best analogy that I can use to describe the book is that it is like a train journey through a scenic countryside- and you chug along to the rhythmic bumping of the train, entirely captivated and moved by the world passing you by.

The Book Thief is set in a world that just passed us by. Narrated, dramatically (initially), poetically (later) and hauntingly (eventually) by Death, the storytelling is an experiment that clearly works.

What I do not understand is how someone will convert the poetry of the prose to film. The whole point of the story of 'The Book Thief' is that you have to read it to understand its beauty.