The problem with weekends is the 'end' part of them. They end. They go away. They always do. Like kids who leave your house when their mom calls them home and your toys need to be put back into the boxes. Happy days!
That's the kind of weekend today is. I spent my time juggling the IPL matches, 'The Book Thief' and a few random bouts of a light sleep and now as the light dims in the high skies, I am thinking - what the hell. Where is my weekend? And the answer is clear. This is your week end, pesky mortal .
'The Book Thief' is the only thing worth telling you about. (Ask me about my precious sleep and I'll maim your puny little bottoms, cheeky pests, lol jk - no I have this whole thing about elaborate curses. It's complex. Remind me to tell you some other day.)
The Book Thief, on the whole is a remarkable book, narrated by an unlikely character, Death, who has a 'Terry Pratchett'ish tone. Mostly. The book is set in the early 1940s in Nazi Germany, the Fuhrer has been concentrating Jews, losing in Russia and in general being a badass he was supposed to be. Far away, his actions are affecting the life of little Liesel Meminger, who, after losing her brother (that's when Death visits her first of the three times) is taken to a foster home. Even when the narrator has little regards for humans otherwise and only sees them as a distraction to his work, once in a while (apart from colours), the book is amazingly sentimental and extremely well written. Every detail of Liesel and her surroundings, her growing up, the descriptions of Germany and its people are warmly sketched and are aimed straight to the heart. Not all of them are Nazi fanatics. Some of them even hid and helped Jews. One such family was Liesel Meminger's foster family, who did it despite the upheavals and dangers of helping one.
Humanity was not completely lost in the heartland of war and tragedy. Between all this are Liesel's reading lessons. Needless to say, most books she has come across are the one she stole from different places. As she learns to read she realizes the power of words. How they soothe, give you company, inspire and corrupt people and sometimes, even save your life. In and around them, are the interwoven lives of people at Himmel Street and beyond. There's the twitchy Tommy Muller, Rudy Steiner - Liesel's besty, Liesel's foster parents, other Steiners, the Mayor's wife and of course Max - the Jew. Liesel's relationship with these people is beautifully illustrated and the thoughts of the little girl are very well laid out - for a grown up author.
Perhaps the only awkwardness in the book is, it doesn't follow a sequence. The narrator keeps throwing flash backs and telling you what's going to happen, keeping no mysteries. But, if you look past them, you will see it's a moving book - with generous amounts of abuses.
There, my week(end) ends. Are you happy, sadist bums?
