Achtung: Spoiler! Bitte nur lesen, wenn ihr das Buch kennt!
I started reading “The Book Thief“with my friend’s voice in my head saying “I know you’ll love it. And you’re going to cry.” She was absolutely right – with both things ;-)
The story narrated by Death made it bearable that so many died – the thought of him, carrying the souls away gently, was kind of soothing in a very strange way. Also the way he told his audience about his work – it was simply his duty to do it as others have to do their own duties. It is a job. A job that is required 24/7.
I loved that I could climb into everyone’s skin in that story. I was Liesel Meminger, climbing into the library stealing yet another book; I was Rudy standing in the middle of an ice-cold river, asking for a kiss. I was Hans Hubermann, playing the accordion, teaching Liesel how to read and watch her sleep after I calmed her after one of her nightmares. I was Rosa Hubermann, calling Hans and Liesel “Saukerl” and “Saumensch”, giving Max soup and doing everything to not let him die. I sat with Max in the cold and dark basement, held my breath while the soldiers were searching the basement, and crying with Liesel in my arms in October 1945. I sat with the other families of Himmel Street in that one basement, listening to Liesel reading a book, waiting and hoping to return safely.
I did not imagine that this book could have such an impact on me, but it did. Yet the impact felt totally different to the one “Once & Then” left me with.
I was just thinking that both books – however they differ from each other – have roughly the same “filter” for me. As one gets slowly introduced into the horrible happenings in “Once & Then” through the adjusting eyes of Felix, here Death is the one telling us about his work and how he sees things, describes how he collects the souls and how careful he is taking them to the next level (whatever that might be). It made it nothing less painful, but somehow less horrible.
I wonder how Liesel’s life was after she was reunited with Max. How did she come to live in Australia? Who did she marry ( I still hope it is Max, although it is probably not the case because it was not mentioned at all ^^)
A truly astonishing book which I will most definitely recommend to others.
Gute Reise ins Flausengut (und nächstes Mal auch keine Englischstunde ;-)
In diesem Sinne,
Caro
