The Book Thief ~ First Impressions

     What did I notice first? The narrator. The narrator is Death. I have never heard of a book with Death being the narrator, maybe that's what makes this book so popular and great.

"Their mother was asleep.

I entered the train.

My feet stepped through the cluttered aisle and my palm was over his mouth in an instant.

No one noticed.

The train galloped on.

Except the girl." 

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     This excerpt from the story was when Liesel's (the main character) brother died. Note: This book takes place during Nazi Germany. Liesel's brother died on the train toward Munich. They were on the way of getting foster parents. In the passage above, you can see death coming into the train and taking the life out of Liesel's brother, Werner. Werner was coughing violently, (for what reason, we don't know) and suddenly died. No one saw, as Death noticed, except Werner's sister who "saw" Death. What Liesel "saw" was Death taking Werner's soul...

"It was exactly when I knelt down and extracted his soul, holding it limply in my swollen arms. He warmed up soon after, but when I picked him up originally, the boy's spirit was soft and cold, like ice cream."

 page 21

   Something else I noticed? The style of writing. Professional would be one word to describe it. Creative can be another. The way this book is written isn't like any other book I've read before. Maybe it's because Death is speaking, Death isn't human...?

"First the colors.

Then the humans.

That's usually how I see things.

Or at least, how I try."

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