“The Book Thief” is one of the more interesting Holocaust books that you’ll have the pleasure of reading. It tells the story of a young girl, Liesel, who is left in a foster home in Nazi Germany, Rudy, a young, rebellions Aryan child, and Max, a Jewish refugee. Together the three become fast friends in a dangerous world of madness and hate.

The first hundred pages are rather confusing. Narrated by the deity Death, there’s a bit of a learning curve. Death is a perplexing character with a strange sense of humor and a grim, sarcastic view on the world. The plot is frequently interrupted for brief ‘announcements’ by the narrating angel, making for an unorthodox formatting. Because of this, some readers may feel slightly out of their comfort zone. But as the pages press on, the reader is drawn into the story, and by page one hundred you can’t put the book down.

I don’t want to ruin the deeper elements of the story, because some of them are truly explosive. But I can say without a second thought that its plot is a true pleasure to experience. With twists and turns, allusion and advances, flashbacks and fast-forwarding, the plot has more drama than TBS. The personage of Death adds a second perspective to the story as well, and his own story is just as interesting as well. Overall, I consider this to be an excellent book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or drama.