Our county library has been recommending this book all summer, so I finally decided to check it out. I had no idea what it was about. It's an engaging novel set in Munich, Germany during World War II. Narrated by Death, and revolving around a girl who is sent to live with a foster family, it's one of the best books I've read in a long time. I really enjoyed the author's colorful wording of every day occurances. He's very good at creating a visual picture of the story as you read. The foreshadowing throughout the book was done in such a manner as to keep you reading, even though you know what the most likely ending of the story is. It's a book about Hitler, Germans, Jews, and World War II. You know people that you will come to care about throughout the book are going to die. Death's narration sort of makes that part easier, as He tries to convince himself that most humans are worthwhile creatures... since most of what He sees are the harsh and negative aspects of human existence. A novel that makes you think, and fleshes out another side of history- the Germans who were human and knew that what Hitler was doing was wrong. I really enjoyed it.
1 comment:
I think I'm the only person who DIDN'T enjoy it. Cheryl couldn't figure out why. 1) I don't like Holocaust fiction - why fictionalize when there are so many memoirs, diaries, etc Fictionalized Holocaust media (movies and books) I feel plays into Holocaust deniers who sometimes call themselves Revisionists. (Hello, I'm a Holocaust and Genocide Studies teacher so of course I have strong feelings from juvenile works to adult level.) 2) Regardless of the topic, I just didn't like the format - death as the narrator didn't work for me - grating and whining. It was chopped and disconnected.
Not my favorite - but to each his own!
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