akwatickwouack

This book was heart-wrenching, especially at the end. The descriptions of the parades of Jews through Molching (especially when Liesel joins in) as well as death's description of the showers were difficult to read. The ending made me tear up, despite the fact that I was reading on a public bus. The use of death as narrator here worked well. It made sense, given the material, and it wasn't overdone. If death's thought would have intruded more into the third person sections about Liesel's life, it would have bothered me, but the amount of intrusion from death seemed perfect. I also liked that this novel, while focusing on a popular subject (the Holocaust) was written from a less-often visited perspective, that of the Germans who in some ways stood by and let it happen, but in other ways did exactly what they could do if they wanted to survive - little to nothing. Themes: World war 2, Hitler, anti-semitism, words, stealing, secrets/promises, books, souls, death, fear, Germany

2022-11-14 16:57