The Book Thief

Well this is the first book of 2012 that got me misty-eyed.  If I were to over simplify it, this is a book about love.  First love, familial love, community love, agape love. The narrator of the novel is Death, but he/she tells a lovely story.  Set during the beginning of WWII, we follow a young foster child and the years she lived with one particular family on a moderately poor street in an unassuming German neighborhood.  At the beginning of the book she is illiterate, but has one book in her possession.  As she starts to learn how to read she is insatiable in her quest for more books. This desire leads to many poignant relationships in her young life.  I am hesitant to give too much of the story away because there are several sub-plots that are tied together quite well in the end.  If I discuss one sub-plot, I will feel compelled to discuss the entire plot and give some key information away.  Instead, I will leave it up to the reader to grab a copy of the book and let the story envelope you.  It's haunting, but very memorable.