Entry #3

I wanted to discuss one think in particular that I've noticed while reading The Book Thief.
I think Markus Zusak is a brilliant writer, and I think is writing style is interesting and new. Take this passage from page 395 for example:

"'Oh my God, Liesel, what have I done?"

Yes.
        I must agree.

What had Papa done?"

The punctuation is pretty choppy throughout the book, especially in tense situations. I think it's meant to represent the way humans think.
When humans are put into situations where they may be in some sort of danger, the first response is to panic. It's instinct. Our thoughts get choppy and rushed as adrenaline courses through out veins. We tend to switch to a different thought before we've even completed the first one. I believe that it the message Zusak is trying to get across.

However, I also want to note that while it may be interesting and different, sometimes his style of writing is very hard to understand. For example, in the sub-chapter "Dominoes and Darkness," Rudy is, from what I understand, selected to attend an elite school for Hitler Youth. The way the sub-chapter is written conveys Rudy's understanding of the whole idea pretty clearly. But I also had to read over some parts several times before I understood what was going on.

All in all, there are going to be pros and cons to every book. While Zusak's book is genius and beautiful, it can be hard to understand at certain points. No book is perfect, and that is okay.