"The Book Thief" was published in 2006, 10 years ago. Written by Markus Zusak, it is the story of a girl who loves books, and how that love for written words helped her survive heartbreak in Nazi Germany. I had read this books several years ago, and I saw the movie when it first came out. Still, it wasn't until I read it again recently, that I was fully able to appreciate just how incredibly well written "The Book Thief" is.
Zusak's ability to write so purely, accurately, and beautifully about the human experience, as well as his poetic writing style, both show that he is a master at his craft. His expert skills are skills that I, as a writer, can only hope to possess someday. To celebrate the beauty that is "The Book Thief," here are 10 of the best quotes from the Markus Zusak's exceptional novel.
1. “I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
2. “He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It’s his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry.”
3. “She leaned down and looked at his lifeless face and Leisel kissed her best friend, Rudy Steiner, soft and true on his lips. He tasted dusty and sweet. He tasted like regret in the shadows of trees and in the glow of the anarchist's suit collection. She kissed him long and soft, and when she pulled herself away, she touched his mouth with her fingers...She did not say goodbye. She was incapable, and after a few more minutes at his side, she was able to tear herself from the ground. It amazes me what humans can do, even when streams are flowing down their faces and they stagger on...”
4. “Usually we walk around constantly believing ourselves. "I'm okay" we say. "I'm alright". But sometimes the truth arrives on you and you can't get it off. That's when you realize that sometimes it isn't even an answer--it's a question. Even now, I wonder how much of my life is convinced.”
5. "She was the book thief without the words. Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like rain.”
6. “If only she could be so oblivious again, to feel such love without knowing it, mistaking it for laughter. ”
7. “A small but noteworthy note. I've seen so many young men over the years who think they're running at other young men. They are not. They are running at me.”
8. “His soul sat up. It met me. Those kinds of souls always do - the best ones. The ones who rise up and say "I know who you are and I am ready. Not that I want to go, of course, but I will come." Those souls are always light because more of them have been put out. More of them have already found their way to other places.”
9. “My heart is so tired.”
10. “Together, they would watch everything that was so carefully planned collapse, and they would smile at the beauty of destruction.”
"The Book Thief" is a truly amazing novel. It is well written and tells a beautiful story, centering around the power of words. Next time your in the mood for a story to both break your heart and make you fall in love, pick up "The Book Thief."
