Twenty-Four and Unemployed

Weeeell, a happy birthday to me, I suppose. I had some plans for the day, but sadly, I couldn't quite accomplish what I had planned. The idea was to write a complete short-story as a way of redeeming myself, so to speak. I wanted the day to be extremely productive as I usually sit and reflect on the past year whenever my birthday approaches, but yeah, this time wasn't a success, nor a complete failure, if I say so myself. My friends and family have made this day a bit more lighthearted, and I appreciate that, truly. However, I still am going to keep working on this short-story for now. I have been invested in another longer work, and I admit that I miss my old days of writing. Poetry, too, must be practiced soon -- I miss it wholeheartedly. I also miss showing my written pieces to my former professor, so that's that.

Anyways, this short-story is based on a dream I had weeks ago, and it really affected me. I would even say I couldn't get over it, and so I thought turning it into a story would be a good way to conquer it. Here's a teaser from the short-story titled Silence...

“I’m dead, damn it!” I ran through the debris of what were once houses of happy families. The end was following me; it kept me on its radar. I couldn’t hide anymore. What I saw around me was destruction… abused bodies, violence, and fire all over. Greenery no longer existed. Our world was now a barren land covered in the blood of the weak.

“Halt, you bastard! You’re under arrest,” shouted the voice that followed me, repeatedly. I closed my eyes, as I ran towards my funeral — the area of voices and noise — I was going to be the easiest catch in history.

The Book Thief

Here comes a first -- an actual book review! Rest assured, my reviews have no spoilers. Anyways, about three days ago, I have finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and despite my delays and reading slumps, it was such a splendid read.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

     So here goes... personally, I am a big fan of war novels. War is one of my favorite themes, and in The Book Thief, it was well-handled. Zusak not only talked about Nazi Germany and the persecution of Jews, but he also highlighted many aspects of the life lived back during World War II. It was not just a war-themed novel, for it handled family relationships and friendships in great manner. This book's 550 pages were never boring. On the contrary, reading it always put me on the edge of the next page; wanting to know more, and see more. Zusak, I believe, creatively used foreshadowing in his narrator's voice in order to pull readers in -- to make them another part of the story. The narrator, I must say, is most likely the key with which the author excelled. Death, being the narrator, was more than just a third perspective; he also took part in the story. To a point, it was more of Death's story than Liesel's. Having mortality walk by your side offers a whole new perspective on the concept of death. Death was not that Reaper holding a scythe, no, in The Book Thief, he was only doing his job. To me, he seemed like a very tired man, who's constantly misunderstood. In short, the narrator was written in a way to enable readers to see through him, which I loved.
     I highly enjoyed the author's writing-style. It was poetic, yet direct in conveying its points. That and the humorous tone he instilled in his beautifully written characters was indeed lighthearted. Getting the novel to be a fun ride of ups and downs despite its focus on such a terrible theme is, in my opinion, a work worthy of applause. And let's not forget the little details denoting Liesel's growth; they were subtle and well-thought.

     Honestly, I'm not sure whether this review is coming out of me because of the book's length, which is the first relatively long book I've read, or because I've gotten quite attached to the characters. The latter actually amuses me, because the narrator was that type which gives you continuous insights. If a character would die, you'd know beforehand, but maybe the mystery of how they'd die was why one would get attached to an already dead character. I assume Death would trigger those that despise spoilers, but he really does it with quite a sympathetic tone, so that's his defense.

     To put an end to this review and for me to finally move on to another book, I'd just have to express how sentimental this book was. It wasn't just a book to allow readers to sympathize with Jews, but also with the ones that were supposedly part of Nazi Germany -- the so-called enemy. Every war and every system that runs it is proof that life is not just black and white. Some people from the conqueror's side appear even more unfortunate than those on the conquered's side. Life, after all, works in such ways to entwine one end to the other. All the characters were down to earth; they were real in their flaws and weaknesses, and to each their own moral compass. In the end, all thanks to Markus Zusak for writing a marvelous book.

This is a 4.5 out of 5 book for me, and I recommend it to all those who like to read on war.