The Book Thief
Marcus Zusak
Markus Zusak has not really written "Harry Potter and the Holocaust." It
just feels that way. "The Book Thief" is perched on the cusp
between grown-up and young-adult fiction, and it is loaded with librarian
appeal. It deplores human misery. It celebrates the power of language.
It may encourage adolescents to read. It has an element of the fanciful.
And it's a book that bestows a self-congratulatory glow upon anyone willing
to grapple with it.
"The Book Thief" resembles other, better novels that have been widely popular. Its roundabout approach to the Holocaust suggests "Everything Is Illuminated" Lite. Its embattled, feisty young heroine has a Potterish appeal as she makes her way through a mystifying adult world. There is a Vonnegut whimsy to the mordant turns of fate here. And Mr. Zusak's narrator offers constant manipulative asides, as in the clever Lemony Snicket books, although in this case wit is not much of an option. The narrator is Death.-read more, NY TImes,March 27, 2006