Book Review: Blake Crouch – “Dark Matter”

“Are you happy with your life?” 
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. 
Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. 
Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”

In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe. (Source: amazon.com)

 

It’s been a long time since it felt right to do another book review on here, but this book captured me so much that I feel like I have to, to share my opinion of this exceptional piece of literature with the world.

So…Yes. Yes. Yes. And Yes again.

This book is the one I enjoyed the most from all the books I’ve read recently, and the one I had the most difficulties with putting it down. Plus, it was SO much better than the first book of Blake Crouch’s “Wayward Pines” series (which was the only one of the trilogy I read).

First of all – the main character. Jason Dessen is, despite working in a profession I was a loser in at school – physics – one of the most sympathetic characters I had the pleasure to read about. You’re thrown right into the story from the beginning, and you get to know everthing about Jason and his family that you need to know. I love the banter between him and his wife, and with his old college friend Ryan Holder only hours before things change for him. It’s all described in such a normalcy that it’s easy for the reader to picture every single situation in their own head, because it could be easily you or me finding themselves in that scene. What I especially liked so much about Jason is his integrity; his one and only aim keeps being his wife at all times, no matter what people or problems he’s confronted with, or in what situations he’s being pushed, deliberately or not. Jason’s the kind of person one like me would love to be one day.

All the other characters have their very own charm, too, as I mentioned before, and that’s the only tiny thing that I didn’t like about the book: the fate of one of them, someone a reader like me might come to like at a certain point, is being kept in the open. Maybe it’s exactly what Crouch intended, to have his readers’ minds still alert after finishing the book, wondering what happened to that one character. It certainly left me with that thought, and there’s a part inside of me, that, despite all the satisfaction this book left me with, that would love to know what happens to him/her (no spoilers here!)

Blake Crouch manages to find just the right balance between the technical side of his story, with all the physics stuff, and the suspense he’s building up with every single sentence. The short sentences in general really catch the reader – you read them down, a feeling inside your gut building that something big is going to happen, something scene-changing…and even if it may not, it doesn’t kill any of its overall suspense. If anything, it raises said suspense even more. And although the chapters are quite long, it doesn’t diminish any of the effects they have on the reader; they are enjoyable to the fullest, and reading them, with everything that happens, it seems like it’s just a blink of an eye when you finished another one.

The overall message of the book is amazing, though I am not able to find the right words to explain why.

Just the thought that somewhere in existence, with some “branch” that builds itself with every single decision we make/made in our life, there are hundreds, thousands, millions of other “us” who live in a complete different way, place, circumstance, and that with the right technical knowledge and abilities, these millions of versions of us could clash with each other in some way – it’s as much frightening as interesting as nothing else I ever thought about. It’s such a deceptive way of thinking that anything that Blake Crouch has thought up in his mind can be possible, and at the same time, it just gets more scaring when you think it about in this way: 30 years ago, nobody would have thought about a device like a Smartphone being possible, or artificial intelligence, or robots walking, working, somewhat “living” on their own, and nowadays, we view these things as normal, as “just the way it’s supposed to be”. The fact that the story revolves around the possibility for someone with the right – or wrong – motives to change his own life without changing the timeline of the world, to just simply step into a complete different dimension where one could be more successful, more satisfied, happier – even if it might be at the expense of your loved one’s or friends’ lives, – is strangely intriguing, and leaves the reader with the thought: “What if I had those possibilities? Would I go for it or am I satisfied with the way my “branch” reaches out?” And of course, one other, more important thought:

Will that technology one day be possible in our dimension?

So all in all, “Dark Matter” is one of the most exceptional books I had the honor and pleasure to read during the past year, and knowing that it’s going to be made into a movie in 2018 is just another sign of HOW exceptionally good it is. For people who love books having the theme of “What if…?”, this one is the perfect choice.

 

Book Review: Jay Asher – “Thirteen Reasons Why”

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker – his classmate and crush – who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah’s pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face. (Source: amazon.com)

Can you personally feel sad and sorry in a physical way for a fictional character? After this book, I’d say yes. A hundred times yes.

If I was to do my review in a conversation with someone, using words, then I’d first have to find the ability to speak again. Because this book left me absolutely speechless. It’s about ignorance, about ignorant people who rather turn their backs on other people and their problems instead of trying to help them to prevent them from doing something stupid. And after having read it, I have to admit that I totally get why Hannah killed herself and I could easily picture myself in her place in the past and even today.

I loved the way Jay Asher wrote this book – it changes from Hannah’s narration through her tapes with the first person narration done by Clay. It gives the story speed, but not too much to be confusing. And in some parts, him speaking and Hannah speaking mixes after only a word or a few words, and the reader can basically hear the desperation in Clay’s words, see his from sadness distorted face in front of them. Asher makes the reader feel sorry for Clay, and me, personally, I felt like hugging him through the entire book, even if he’s nothing but a fictional character – but you really just have to love Clay. He’s one of the most likeable characters I’ve ever read about, and learning about Hannah’s story partly from his point of view makes him even more likeable, because it’s like the reader himself is experiencing what Clay is going through. It’s a total different kind of narration than what most authors do, but for this kind of story, there couldn’t have been a better one. It gives it an even deeper meaning and leaves the reader with a bad aftertaste after each chapter, because I bet there are a lot of readers who can empathize with either Clay or Hannah, or maybe even both.

Bullying itself is the most horrible thing in the world. I know what I’m talking about, because it happened to myself during schooltime. But what happens with Hannah’s story is – in my opinion – way worse. Due to rumors being spread about her because she does not behave the way her schoolmates – mostly boys, but there are also girls doing her wrong – a snowball effect kicks in. One rumor leads to someone’s action, that leads to another action, to another, and so on. And all the while, Hannah is misunderstood, seen as someone she just isn’t. She is never given the chance to explain things, to show people who she really is. And at one point, after more and more bad things happen to her – betrayal, utilisation, sexual harassment, abuse – she just gives up.

The most horrible thing is that there were changes about her that were there, for everybody to see and notice, and still, nobody did ANYTHING about it. Which pretty much sums up the kind of society we all live in. Why bother with other people’s problems when we have enough of our own? Why realize that maybe there’s more to someone who used to be extroverted and suddenly stops connecting with anybody around him/her? And even when Hannah turns to a classmate who’s done her wrong, saying out loud for the first time that she needs someone to appreciate her, to notice her, he ignores it.

The end was absolutely devastating, and I rushed through it despite the fact that I already knew the end, all with tears in my eyes. For the one and only, the last time, Hannah decides she wants to live after all. That she does want to give someone the last chance to help her, to rescue her from giving herself up. She turns to someone who knowingly deals with problems, who knows about inner struggles and who’s job it is to help.

And she’s let down again.

At the end, Hannah says “I am sorry.” But in my opinion, someone who has committed suicide should not apologize to anybody they’ve left behind. Maybe that’s harsh towards those people. But to be honest, if those people were really connected to the person who killed himself/herself, if they cared enough, in my opinion, they should notice at least some changes, or signs that something isn’t right. And if they know that that person might not be the most stable in the world, the alarm bells should at least slowly start ringing in their heads. And if they didn’t…well, for me, these people then don’t even deserve any explanation or an apology. And for all the people out there who’ll shout “Damn hypocrite!” at me now: I’m not taking myself out of this. I do not see myself as a good friend, and personally, I have a problem with not only dealing with my own problems, no matter how they pile up, but also with other people’s. I have never learned real empathy when someone tells me their grandma died, or someone in their family is sick, or even not big things, like them losing their job or being dumped/dumping somebody. But nevertheless – at least that’s how I feel it is – I try to be there for them. I assure them that I’ll leave them alone if that’s what they need/want, but that whenever they need something/someone to vent, I’ll be there to listen to them ranting. I may be the worst giver of advises, but I see myself at least as someone who, even if she struggles with what’s thrown at her through other people’s problems, does NOT turn her back on these people. Of course, in reality, only my friends can really estimate if what I just said is total crap or not. But fact is, despite my flaws and helplessness with other people’s struggles, I am not a bad person. Different to all the young teenagers in this book who make me massively angry and horribly sad at the same time.

I don’t even know, nor do I want to know, the dark figure of how many young people kill themselves every year due to similar things that were described by Jay Asher. Or due to ignorant friends in someone’s life. Because it’s a heartbreaking thing to think about, that there is enough ignorance, backstabbing & loneliness in this society that people still have reasons to end their own lives.

And the most scaring thing?

That it can happen to everyone of us.

Because that’s our society.

And that’s the saddest thing to think about.

Thank you, Jay Asher, for your phenomenal, heartwrenching and emotional book, for a real insight into the depths of the world we live in. And here’s to the hope that one day, your book will make a difference for all the people who struggle with their lives, and make them see that one way or another, there CAN be a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it’s just someone calling their name in an empty hallway.

 

Book Review: Adi Alsaid – “Let’s Get Lost”

Five strangers. Countless adventures.One epic way to get lost.
Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.  
There’s HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love. 
Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila’s own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you’re looking for is to get lost along the way. (Source: amazon.com)

I got this book quite a while ago and finally read it – and I am more than glad that I did so. It may “only” been Alsaid’s debut novel, but to be honest, he did a pretty damn good job on it, and I am looking forward to read more of him in the future.

The story itself is segmented into 4 completely different storylines – Hudson, Bree, Elliot & Sonia – but they all have one thing in common: despite the fact that they are the main characters, the girl named Leila has been written so amazingly well by Alsaid that she really (at least for me) is what captures the reader when reading each of the chapters.

Hudson
Hudson works at his father’s garage, fixing cars, and when Leila shows up in his life, she turns it upside down in a way that everyone has probably seen at least once in movies or read about in other books – some kind of Hollywood-like love story-thing. It was easy for me to warm up to Hudson, because I could relate to a person who falls helplessly for someone at first sight (don’t let me get started about how much it has happened to myself!). I loved how Leila came crashing into his little, normal life, its path predestined, his future all laid out in front of him by his father, and makes Hudson question his life choices, thinking deeply about his dreams and fears. And she’s doing it with such an easy-going attitude that might make the reader, when being in a dark chapter in their life, wish, that kind of person would crash into it and help them turning it around, changing it forever. And when that first storyline ends, I found myself thinking “That can’t just be it, can it?”, wishing for the entire rest of the book that there will be more of it. And is there? Well, to know that, you should probably go and read it 🙂

Bree
Bree’s storyline is the one I didn’t really like at all. Bree is a runaway girl who left her home to hitchhike across the country, due to her older sister babying her all the time after their parents died of cancer. Just to get away from facing her worries and fears. I didn’t like that part that much, because with all that happens inside of it – Bree convincing Leila of shoplifting, both of them ending up in jail, all the teenage-like fighting with Bree’s sister when she comes bailing them out, – is too…”forced” for me. It’s like Alsaid tries to stretch out every single one of teenage clichés, and the only thing missing would be Bree stomping with her feet, screaming “I hate you, you ruined my life!” at her sister. It was too predictable for me what would come next on Bree’s road trip, to be fair. The only thing that made up for the lack of surprise – once again – was Leila. Her role in the storyline was a beautiful one, what with her being the thing that makes Bree do the right life choice for herself after such a long time of running away from it.

Elliot
I have nothing else than praise for this storyline, and it was by far my absolute favourite. Of course, if I talked about teenage clichés in the “Bree” part, I have to speak about them in this one, too. Elliot, on his prom night, having the worst moment of his life when he confessed his love to his best friend and is clearly rejected (she runs away), is the picture perfect example of a lot of young teenage boys in any Hollywood movie anybody could possibly ever think of. The story itself reeks of “Happy Ending”. And yet, Alsaid understands how to play it out, throwing obstacle after obstacle inbetween Elliot’s feet, and every single time you think that now, he’ll give up. I loved it. I loved that Leila made Elliot go on, no matter what, how she keeps him strong. During that chapter, the positive energy that the reader gets from Leila is inspiring to feel, making me, personally, wish again that there was someone like that in my life, someone who lifts you up like that even if you can’t fight anymore, and who changes your life forever in a heartbeat without expecting anything back. And maybe, the fact that I could picture every single scene of their story in my head, as if it was my own, or that every station Leila & Elliot reach on their way reminded me alot of the relationship between Margo & Quentin in John Green’s book “Paper Towns”, captured me even more in this particular chapter that as soon as I had finished it, I wanted to go back and read it all over again.

Sonia
This storyline was a bit hard for me to grasp, as it is said that Sonia and Leila are about the same age, but from the style of writing, it seems as if Sonia is at least 5 or 6 years older – she has lost her boyfriend to a heart failure 7 months back, leaving her with a constant hate for herself because she has fallen in love with somebody else just shortly after said boyfriend died, struggling with going public with it, scared of hurting and disappointing his family who have taken her in with open arms. The problems Sonia is facing are probably the most grown-up throughout the entire book, and maybe the ones I can relate the least to. Not because I am not grown-up myself, but because I have never been in a situation like she is. And the connection Leila and she made seemed somewhat “misplaced” to me, because it felt more like two sisters – Sonia the older, settled one, Leila the younger, wild one, – than two total strangers meeting, with one of them changing the other one’s life forever. And somehow, that storyline didn’t fit in with the other three for me. I loved the outcome of it, nevertheless – I even shed one or two tears, so that has to count for something.

And then, there is…Leila
I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when I reached the book at about 85% (I read it on my Kindle), and the last chapter was all about her. I was wondering what exactly would come up now except the fact that Leila had, in fact, finally gotten to see the Northern Lights. But I was pleasantly surprised with one last, very touching storyline, maybe the one some readers waited for ever since they started this book. Leila’s does one last “road trip”, encounters total strangers one last time, is greeted by the same amount of kindness that she seemed to have dedicated her life to herself, and during it, finally finds herself, where she truly belongs to. And Alsaid saved up to solve the mystery about her until that last storyline/chapter – which is probably one of the smartest things he could have done, and one of the things that made his debut novel such an amazing one. And once again – a few tears wanted to escape my eyes at the end.

All in all, this book (to me) was totally riveting, thrilling, absolutely touching and above all, a very very enjoyable piece of literature.

Book Review: James Dashner – “The Maze Runner” Trilogy

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone. Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Remember. Survive. Run. (Source: amazon.com)

It took me a hell of a long time until I finally decided to give the series a shot – mostly due to the fact that in a few days, the 1st movie is going to be released here in Germany and I was intrigued (which has absolutely nothing to due with Dylan O’Brien playing the lead role, of course not…), so I figured starting with the book first would be a good thing. However, I had heard and read very different opinions; people being disappointed of the 2nd and 3rd book, complaining about the main character’s attitude and the multiple deaths of characters they had grown close to. But after all, it was announced as something between “The Hunger Games”, “Divergent” & “Lord Of The Flies” – three of the things I love to pieces, so curiosity got the better of me and I finally started the series 6 days ago.

And hello, am I glad I did. This series is a GEM.

#1 The Maze Runner

As probably everybody who has read this book, I was into the story right away. Of course, the choice of words was weird at first, words I had never heard before, but I soon grew used to “shuckface”, “slinthead” and all the likes. After all, it was easy to imagine what the characters were saying. Plus, I clicked with Thomas right away, despite the fact that I’m female. His insecurity, yet his curiosity, and his will to find out the truth were very intriguing. Moreover, each of his characteristics made me like him the instant he showed up. He’s a character that people can identify with – I myself can imagine being taken completely aback if I’d ever been thrown in a situation that he’s been thrown in, with all my memories and past being wiped out. And also all the other characters were so well-written that you can’t help but feel with them – even with Gally.
The fact that the truth behind the “Maze” is only revealed in the last pages of this first book might be something that annoyed people – I, however, liked that way of approach done by James Dashner, because it somewhat reminded me of the series “Prison Break” and its 1st season. Everyone had a feeling they’d break out, and they had to wait until the very last episode of Season 1 to see it happen. And after it was clear that the “Maze” wouldn’t hold the kids’ future any longer, it was clear for me that they’d leave, and from that point on it was impossible for me to put the book away. The way it was written was highly entertaining and just the way I like my books to be.

#2 The Scorch Trials

The 2nd book thankfully picked up exactly where the 1st one left off – something I thought was a good move. With what the kids had to face, it would’ve been highly illogical to let time pass between the escape and the “new start”. For me, it was also very interesting as to how the characters would develop from now on. We have Thomas, who had regained some of his memories due to one very stupid deed in the 1st book, and who grew more and more confident of himself and the place he starts to take over in the small group of kids. The reader feels how he gets stronger, how he knows what he wants, despite the fact his past still is a mystery to him. And the reader also feels with him as his thoughts about who to trust and who to mistrust keep him in a constant inner agony. To some people (according to the reviews on amazon and from a friend of mine), that was somewhat annoying – the constant reminder of the horror Thomas had to go through at the end of the 1st book, and the whining over and over, his seeming inability to let things go, to move on; but I, personally, liked it. It made him very human to me, struggling with himself and the people he’s closest to – something I can very well relate to (although not in that exact way as he experienced it, of course).
But the character I grew the closest with, the character I started to like more than anyone else, about who’s life I was in constant fear – that was Minho. I utterly loved his development since the 1st book, I absolutely enjoyed the change James Dashner has put him through – willingly or not. The snippy comments, the “Dude!” outbursts, the constant sarcastic/wry remarks – it was the thing I mostly enjoyed about “The Scorch Trials” over everything else, over the story, the chills and the suspense. Had James Dashner only broached in very small glimpses what kind of boy Minho is, he played it out very well from the moment that he took over a bigger role in the whole story in this 2nd book. And I have nothing but praise for that.

#3 The Death Cure

All in all, that might be the weakest book of the three, up until a certain point closer to the end. I understand why people kept complaining about the “downfall” of the series with every book, and I have to admit, partly, it annoyed me, too, how the characters of Thomas and Teresa behaved. I understand a lot of the younger readers thought of them as maybe some kind of Katniss & Peeta from the “Hunger Games” series – what with them ending up happily ever after at the end of the series, – and that constant discussions and fights were nothing they wanted to have. The whining and moaning of Thomas didn’t stop in this book (I’m not gonna lie about that), and without bringing in more spoilers than I already have, they are increased with every new shock, terror and task that Thomas and his friends have to face. But let’s be honest: this is the last book of the series, and every reader who expects it to sugarcoat things, to go down easily just doesn’t understand book series like that. Because at the end, “The Death Cure” surely does everything else but sugarcoat, and somewhat even exaggerates with using brutality. The long journey of Thomas, Minho, Teresa, Newt and everyone else is finally coming to an end, and I, personally, wouldn’t have wanted it any other way than how it was done by James Dashner. It was the right way, and I loved it.

Resumé: Of course (especially in the 2nd and 3rd book) there have been turns in the destiny of Thomas and the other Gladers that were so numerous that they hovered at the edge of illogicality for me (the countless times they are able to escape certain captures or deaths are mostly to be named here). But in the end, when I think about it, they kept the story going, kept it flowing – just when the reader thinks “Now it’s over for them, definitely!”, they come out of it, almost unfazed, only to be thrown into the next mess when the same thoughts come back.
Of course there have been deaths throughout all three books that shook me hard – and I won’t be shy to admit I shed the one or other tear over the people dying; that’s how close I personally grew to the characters. But in the end, if I am honest, they were needed to put the characters through a development that was credible and entertaining (minus the whining), to keep them interesting enough that the reader wants to know how they deal with it. Especially the last death in the final book was hard – although part of me kind of knew what would happen, because I’m just that kind of a realist – and sometimes, things are just too good to be true.
Of course not everything in this series was perfect. There are barely perfect books out there.

But all in all, to me, James Dashner came VERY close to “perfect” with his “Maze Runner” series.

Well done.

 

Book Review: Donna Tartt – “The Secret History”

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill. (Source: amazon.com)

I am glad I gave this book a shot after reading a very tedious excerpt of “The Goldfinch” before. Of course, this book tended to be quite tedious in parts, too – something that makes me understand why people say that Tartt is hard to digest, that after reading one of her books, they had to take a break before starting other books written by her. And that is the only reason why I “only” gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. And tedious for me in this regard means sometimes too long trains of thoughts from Richard, the narrator, filled with mentions of Greek mythology, philosophy – but really, that is just my personal opinion/problem, and not a reproach to the author herself or her writing skills – on the contrary, because after all, I totally knew what I was getting myself into when I started this book.

The story is different from other murder stories – you know right at the beginning who’s the murderer and the rest of the book is an explanation WHY the murder happens – something that some books sometimes are lacking. And I am not talking about the “normal” reasons for a murder – the person being killed was rude to the others, slept with someone’s wife, betrayed the protagonist in other ways – Tartt goes way deeper into the psyche of 5 college kids who try everything to maintain their normal life, to pretend everything’s fine, and she takes the reader on the constant journey how 4 of them after the murder keep on living after that life-changing experience. She never stops opening up the psychological problems in the college kids’ “new” life, in their minds, she draws the reader in, makes him/her part of her story.

One thing I loved most about this book is the long conversation about a quarter into the book where Henry and Francis, two of the main characters, are telling Richard – the narrator – everything they’ve been keeping secret from him. I loved that conversation, the way it was written, the way Tartt used her words. She made me somewhat feel like I was part of that story-telling, like I was sitting in the same room with them, listening to everything they revealed. And that is a talent that nowadays not many authors have (at least for me and my taste in books and authors). Overall, for me, ALL of the conversation between the 5 young people are highly entertaining, so that it was very hard for me to putting that book away – they are compelling in a way that is too difficult to explain.

Plus, Tartt never gets tired to reveal even the deepest depths of her characters. The further you get into the story, the more you find out about Henry, Camilla, Charles and Francis, and just when you think you know all there is to know about them – something else is revealed. The only two people who really kind of stay mysterious to the reader are Henry and Julian, their teacher. To some people, it might not be satisfying, but to me, it gives the story and its end a bit of extra spice. Everybody can make up their own mind if and how everyone found their peace eventually or not. I like this way of approaching readers.

It’s going to take some time until I’ll approach another of Tartt’s books now – maybe even “The Goldfinch”, after all, – but I definitely do not regret taking this one onto my book shelf. It’s an amazing piece of modern literature, and the best thing about it: it’s a book you will not forget that easily.

And that is – in my opinion – the greatest gift an author can make and get.

Book Review: E. Lockhart – “We Were Liars”

Cadence Sinclair Eastman comes from an old-money family, headed by a patriarch who owns a private island off of Cape Cod. Each summer, the extended family gathers at the various houses on the island, and Cadence, her cousins Johnny and Mirren, and friend Gat (the four “Liars”), have been inseparable since age eight. During their fifteenth summer however, Cadence suffers a mysterious accident. She spends the next two years—and the course of the book—in a haze of amnesia, debilitating migraines, and painkillers, trying to piece together just what happened. (Source: amazon.com)

I am probably the only person who did not read this book because she wanted to know what all the fuzz was about, but because it was suggested to me on amazon and the mixed reviews got me curious.

And it only took me less than 6 hours to finish it because I just couldn’t put it away for a minute.

At first, I was not sure what to make of it. All the different characters, the way that the narrator – Cadence, – is explaining all the different family members, the living circumstances on the island was somewhat really confusing for me at the beginning. It reminded me a lot of “A Casual Vacancy” by Joanne K. Rowling, which is the worst book I’ve read in my entire life. But then, all things fell into place.

The lovestory between Cady and Gat, her Aunt’s boyfriend’s nephew, is somewhat just like how teenage lovestories are: they meet in their holidays, fall in love, and when they’re back home, they forget about that summer fling. Not Cadence. While Gat seemingly has moved on with a girlfriend in New York, she realizes how far she has fallen for him. To me, it made her more human; a human with flaws who has no saying about who she loves, who cannot control her feelings and who, despite the circumstances, never give up on hoping for her Happy End. Cady takes the reader on her journey to not only find herself, but also, find out who her family is.

After the accident, which E. Lockhart described a bit hazy (in my personal opinion), so that I had to read it twice to actually understand what happened, the reader is constantly confronted with the fact that Cady suffers from a severe amnesia that goes along with constant migraine attacks that knock her out for days at times. That is probably the only thing that bugged me about the book: over and over, the reader is told how bad her condition is, how bad her headaches and sickness is, and it can become somewhat annoying. Because I think it’s enough if you get introduced to a problem ONCE, it doesn’t need to be slapped into your face over and over again. She’s sick, she suffers, WE GET IT.

The reason I read this book in such a short amount of time was that as soon as I knew something was off about Cady’s “accident”, I was dying to know what it was; I am just that sort of very curious person. Plus, the love story between her and Gat becomes even more complicated, and although they seem to fall back into what they were two summers ago, they’re not really back to where they’ve left off, if that makes any sense at all. Gat behaves oddly enough to cause a distance between them that Cady desperately tries to overcome. The more clues the reader gets throughout the part of the book (after the accident) – little hints by her aunt Carrie’s strange behaviour at night, her cousin’s nightmares and slip of tongue once,  her hovering mother, – the more curious he/she gets. At least that’s what happened to me.

And just when you think that you have found out what happened, when it seems crystal clear and you start thinking “That’s it? That’s the huge mystery?”, E. Lockhart presents the shocking truth. Which, I have to admit, hit me right in the stomach, because I did not expect it. And although the reader is a bit…left out in the open about how, after Cady comes back to the island two years after the “accident”, things worked out with the “Liars”, without further explanations (not going into details about these “explanations”, as I don’t want to give away anything; people who might read this will understand once they read the book themselves), I, personally, felt content with the ending. I still felt that there was a closure for me to all the secrets, the strange behaviours, the gaps that opened up between Cady, her family and especially the “Liars”, whom she spent every single summer with, being as close as you can be with friends. I didn’t need any more descriptions. And the fact that I read this book without any expectations, as so many others did, helped me to not being disappointed by the ending. Because in my opinion, there really is NOTHING to be disappointed about.

The book shows the abysses of a very patriarchic family, driven by love, envy, lies, racism, money and expectations that all seem to lose their meaning as soon everybody is confronted with a shocking incident. All that matters then is to stick together and keep what’s left of that family together as good as possible – no matter the consequences.

Blood is thicker than water. And apparently, a family tree is stronger than even the most shocking events.

Book Review: Jenny Lawson – “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened”

Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us.
In the #1 New York Times bestseller, “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened”, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor. Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” Pictures with captions (no one would believe these things without proof) accompany the text. (Source: goodreads.com)

How do you explain this book to anybody who has neither heard of it nor read it themselves? Answer: you can’t, which will make this blog post a lot of fun. Two things that are for sure about it, though: 1. I have never read a better and more entertaining book than this one, having me more than once in stitches including stupid grinning on the bus home and, as a result of that, weird looks from my felllow bus companions. And 2., never in my life have I used so many bookmarks in a book before (thank God I have it as a Kindle version, I guess. Would be funny to look at if on my bookshelf otherwise). There’s not one page in this book that will not make your fingers wanting to switch over to the “Put to bookmarks” button, I guarantee you.

For starters, Jenny Lawson didn’t have the best and wealthiest childhood in the world, if you think about money. With what she grew up were experiences. Weird experiences. Loads of them. For example, one day, her father, who was a taxidermist and always brought dead (or almost dead, that is) animals home for Jenny and her sister to play with. One of those lovely things was a little racoon called Rambo who attacked Jenny’s sister when they were little and Jenny described it as “…and it was totally awesome.” Or the part where she says that if the reader can’t take a book as disturbing as hers (with talking about standing in a dead animal in her father’s taxidermy shop), they should “get another book that’s less disturbing than this one. Like one about kittens. Or genocide.” Sadly, I am not making this up, this is exactly how it’s described in the book.

I know that mostly all of the experiences Jenny makes in this book, throughout her life, with a gang of turkeys (or, according to her father, “big quails”) following her around school, wild animals like racoons, cougars or goats showing up right next to your head all of a sudden, being an outcast at school, having more than one miscarriage, experiencing drugs, are not the stuff you should usually laugh about (except for the first two things, maybe). But the thing I personally love about this book is that there is no sugarcoating whatsoever in it. Jenny Lawson describes it as it has happened, as she has experienced and suffered through it, and she does it in the most entertaining way the reader could ever imagine. Her life hasn’t been kind to her all the time, but she got through it, she straightened her back, directed her gaze into the future and never looked back in pity. In fact, she embraced every single episode in her life, no matter how weird and unbelievable it has been. This is an ability I admire more than anything else, because it makes the story itself so vivid, and transfers the book into a complete pageturner, and, also, grabs you by the hand and doesn’t let you go until you’ve finished.

I have read critics about this book where people said they found Jenny Lawson “annoying”, “unbelievable” and “unsympathetic”. I, however, do not understand such an opinion. For me, even during the introduction of the book, she became one of the most sympathetic writers that are out in the world. Maybe it’s the fact that she is exactly like one of my friends, Laura, is, who’s got her own blog on here (mysticmonkey.wordpress.com), and who is the most entertaining writer/person for me. While I was reading, it was like I was reading a book of a friend like Laura. I instantly bonded with Jenny when I read about how her parents once kicked her out a driving car (which was totally an accident, don’t be shocked, you’ll understand it if you read it) in the introduction, and the way she writes and tells her life story…I can’t explain it, it just got to me, and was the foundation for me admiring this author to no end.

The ability to grab a reader by the hand, pulling them in and making them feel like a part of the book, like they can’t put the book down for even a second because they’d feel like a part of them is being put down – that is an ability that is the one that I, myself, strive for one day. Jenny Lawson’s writing talent is absolutely out of this world, she describes simple, normal, yet sometimes horrible facts of life in such a hilarious way that the reader can’t help but enjoy every single word of it. And me, personally, she got to the point where even just a few sentences into the introduction, I wished I wouldn’t have started the book because I knew I would have finished it just far too soon, and that I could read this book for the 1st time again.

There is no way I can give her only 5 out of 5 stars in my rating, so I’ll just say: go, buy this book. It’s worth every penny, and it will make your life brighter and is a true enrichment to every bookshelf.

Simply the BEST. BOOK. EVER. Thank you, Jenny Lawson. Well done. Very well done.

Book Review: John Green – “Will Grayson, Will Grayson”

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, Will Grayson crosses paths with . . . Will Grayson. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, and culminating in epic turns-of-heart and the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high school stage. (Source: amazon.com)

It took me a very long time until I finally decided to read this book – it’s actually the only one that I kind of…rejected from the get go. Now, people might now be calling me racist or homophobic, but the honest truth is that I didn’t plan on reading it because it’s about a boy, Will Grayson, and his best friend, who is gay. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not homophobic in any way, believe it or not. Each to their own, after all, we’re all just people and shouldn’t be judged by who we love. It’s just…I don’t know, I just don’t care at all about gay people. They live their life, I live mine, but I don’t really care about them. They’re just…people. Like you and me. And I am not that kind of person who’d ever go out on the streets to fight for gay rights. Sorry. I’ll probably get a lot of hate for that now, but whatever. That’s not the point, anyways.

The point is – this book. There are books you read that leave you in complete awe for them, making you instantly want to read it again and wish you could then read it for the first time once more. Then there are books that you put away after you’ve finished and think that you don’t really need to read them again at all cost. This one book here is somewhere inbetween. It’s not the fault of the way John Green has chosen his words (for the first time, together with David Levithan), or the set up of the story or the characters. Because, hands down, as always, Green just had a very good hand at choosing his characters, of bringing them to the reader.

First of all, there’s Will Grayson. He’s kind of a sad character at first: a reserved young boy who lost his group of friends due to the fact that he stood up for his gay best friend. He never had a girlfriend before and doesn’t even let himself think too much about it, because he follows two simple rules: 1. Don’t care too much and 2. Shut up. In other people’s opinions, Will is kind of a robot due to this, but for him, caring too much only leads to misery, so he keeps away from all things emotional and romantic – with which a lot of people might be able to identify, me included. During the story, he changes his thoughts on things, and that change is one of the best things about the book; it’s lovely to see this kind of shy boy changing into someone who starts embracing life with all its flaws and miracles, no matter what. That alone teaches the reader one very important lesson.

Then there’s Tiny. Who, surprisingly, is everything else but tiny. He’s the distinct opposite of that; he’s ridiculously tall, and from the sounds of it, he’s also pretty “chubby”…basically everything you would never want to be while in High School. But despite that, Tiny is obviously the most happy person on the planet, the most positive gay boy you’ll ever meet in your entire life. He fully embraces himself and his life with all the bad and the good things, he falls in and out of love, he doesn’t regret a move he makes, even if it pisses people massively off. So once again, John Green manages to built a character you just can’t help but love with all of your heart. He thrills the reader with his weird and crazy ideas (a musical based on his 17-year-old life – come on, if that isn’t crazy, then what is?), and, mostly, with his capacity for enthusiasm for all things that life has to offer. And I think everybody should have that kind of person in their life.

Last but not least, there’s the other Will Grayson to mention. When the reader is introduced to him, he is a young teenage boy who is gay but hasn’t got the courage to come out to neither his mom nor his environment, and is on the edge to commit suicide. Seriously, Will is practically the darkest person I have ever read about in John Green’s books. Even Margo Roth Spiegelman (in “Paper Towns”) or Alaska (in “Looking for Alaska”) aren’t THAT dark. It’s kind of depressing when you read about how lonely and without hope Will is – which is the saddest thing, because once you realize that, you realize that there are hundreds of thousands of teenagers out there who feel this exact same way, no matter for what reason, and it hits you right in the face without warning. But just as the “other” Will, this one goes through a change during the story, and that is mostly thanks to Tiny, even if their paths only cross through pure and cruel coincidence (if you decide to read this book, you’ll know what I mean by “cruel”). And in some way, this way of two destinies crossing each other is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever had the pleasure to read about.

From a certain point in the story, there are two strings of storyline, told by each of the two Will Graysons, before and after they meet. For me, it was a bit irritating at first, because the gay Will Grayson (that is my chosen adjective to succesfully differentiate them – without any intention of insulting whatsoever!) sets the capitalization rules out of order, and for someone who’s very srict about grammar – even in a foreign language, like for me as a german, – this can be weird at first. But the way gay Will tells his story helps the reader to get over that pretty quickly, and more so, somehow, his way of telling is making it easier to differentiate the two storylines.

The end of the story…I am not sure if I like it or not, and that’s probably the main reason why I am not sure what to think about the book. Once I realized that from a certain point in the story, it moves quickly towards the end, I got all excited and actually wasn’t able to put the book away anymore. I wanted to know if the plan that gay Will Grayson and his friend, Gideon, are working out, is going to success once it’s out in the open. And yes, maybe I am a helpless romantic after all, although I always say I despise love stories, but I was really hoping for a Happy End at that point. That two boys are running into the sunset with each other, holding hands and probably riding on unicorns (admit it, everybody had that kind of picture in their head at least once in their life).

Fact is: the story has an open ending. One that lets you have your own opinion on how gay Will’s plan succeeded, and if it’s a Happy End or not, or just some crappy thing that leaves you with more questions than you had at the beginning. Me, personally, I have no problem whatsoever with open endings. In fact, I absolutely love them. I have published 3 stories on here myself, all of which have an open ending for the reader to make up their own mind. And I think these kind of endings sometimes are the best ones an author can come up with – if they are written perfectly, still with that kind of suspense that lets you sigh and say “Oh come on, really? You can’t do that to me!” And “Will Grayson, Will Grayson” is not an exception of that. It’s not as amazing as maybe (for me) the ending of “Pet Sematary” by Stephen King – but then again, NOTHING beats THAT one, and anyways, it doesn’t matter. For how the story about the two Will Graysons and Tiny is told, it is the perfect ending and maybe the only one that matters. The reader doesn’t need to know whether there is a Happy End or not, that everyone lives happily ever after, because from the way the very last sentence is written down, you just know it. You just feel it (apart from the fact that the described musical that Tiny brings onto stage makes you want to pull your hair because you now want to see it for yourself so desperately even though you know it doesn’t even exist in real life).

And the most important thing: this book tells a lesson. A moral that tells the reader that sometimes, not feeling anything, not caring can be the thing that keeps you sane, but at the same time, can make you absolutely insane and keep you from all the good things life has to offer for you. And, most importantly, that tolerance is one damn important thing in this world out there, and that, no matter what the case, it doesn’t matter at all what others think of you or your friends – as long as you’re okay with yourself, and as long as you love yourself and the ones who love you.

What better lesson is there to learn from this book?

Thank you, John Green.

The Freedom Of Being A Respectful Writer

Recently, I have seen and heard a lot of things concerning people writing, may it be on blogs, their facebook profiles, twitter, blogpost, whatever. And to say I am totally indifferent to anything that I have seen or heard is the understatement of the year.

Because I am not.

I am going to be blunt: I don’t have a lot of readers on here, nor will I probably ever have. I only have a handfull of readers that are also my friends, so maybe they feel obliged to do so (which they don’t have to, actually, but hey, I feel honoured, thank you, my loves!). I almost never get any feedback on anything I write unless I’m asking for it (which I do next to never, because, come on, it’s pathetic), or comments on my blog or somewhere where I put the links up. And that is okay. I mean, I am not lying, of course I’d love to have more readers I know of, to have more feedback, to have people saying they love what I have to say on here whenever I post something, that they’d like to read more of me, giving me more positive encouragement so I know I should keep on writing, that what I’m putting into words on here is good stuff – who doesn’t wish for that kind of thing? Even if someone says they don’t do it to be noticed (and I count myself into that very little group, too), deep down, everyone of us wants to be noticed, to be acknowledged and praised. It’s normal, it’s a human thing. And that’s okay. Also, I know I probably will never be as popular with any of the stuff I’m writing as some of the other wordpress/blogpost users, neither will I ever reach the point where people spread my stuff anywhere and talk about it, and that’s also okay. I am not a native english speaker, I was born and raised german, I live in Germany, so it’s natural I can never reach what other, native english writers/bloggers achieve. But I always try my best in writing in english, always have and always will. It bugs me because I despise Germany and speaking german (oh, the irony), but it’s who I am and where I live for now, I can’t change it, and that’s also okay. But there is one thing that’s absolutely NOT okay in my eyes.

Feeling superior over other writers.

As I said, I know there are a lot of good and decent writers out there, people I admire for their writing skills, even if it’s the dumbest things they post on their blogs, I admire their words, can’t get enough of them because they are just plain good and highly entertaining (like my friend Laura’s, blog, check it out, you probably won’t regret it – unless you have a problem with a lot of fangirling or talking about men being naked and stuff 😉 http://mysticmonkey86.wordpress.com/ ). I also know that I am very blessed with the little writing skills I have in english with being german and all. I’m not taking it for granted whenever I have a good idea and can put it into decent words (like my first published short story on here a few months back), and I am always beyond grateful when someone says something nice about that stuff to me (or to be exact, I am always over the moon about it, like I just won the lottery, but saying it out loud makes me look weird, so I’m not going to admit that….oh, wait…). It means an even bigger deal to me if someone on the outside of my life says it, because of course, as a writer, you’re bound to think that when friends say something nice, they do it because, well, they are your friends. I’m not saying the few friends of mine who read my stuff (thank you again!!!) aren’t genuine, because I know for a fact that they are, that they mean it when they compliment me every now and then. But I don’t know, if someone who doesn’t know you, your life, your circumstances or whatever, thinks that what you put into words is good or even great – that is true happiness to me as a hobby writer.

I’m not doing any of my writing purely to be noticed, to be seen and discovered as the next Joanne K. Rowling or Karin Slaughter (good god, no, these two are goddesses!), I’d mostly do it for myself, and you can ask anybody who knows me on twitter or facebook: I NEVER put my link to something I wrote on here anywhere more than once. I post it once, and that’s it. I’m not messaging or tweeting people to make them read it, to tell me what they think (although a lot of times, I really want to because I don’t have a very high opinion on what I write down). I am not spamming them with it, or asking what they think. I’m not sending links to my posts/blogs to strangers, or people I admire, even if I’ve mentioned these people in them (did that a few times at the very beginning of this wordpress thing, but soon felt like an intruder, a creepy and needy little girl, so I was soon done with that). I’m not constantly talking about my blog, not stating how many views I had on here, how “popular” I am on here, and not only because I just simply think: I am not popular at all, in any kind of way. It’s more like it’s annoying the hell out of me that people actually do it. Yes, you can be proud of what you write, I am not saying that it’s wrong to be proud or feel good about it or wanting to talk about it all the time, because of couse, I am often proud of my stuff on here, too. Every writer puts a lot of time and heart into what they put onto paper or on a blog like this. They have these ideas in their heads, or experience something (like in my case, mostly West End shows or musicals in general) that they want to tell the world about, or, just as me, just want to have a place where they can write it all down for themselves, like some kind of therapy. Or some kind of memory to look back on a few months or years later, to look back on that stuff and think: “Oh, I remember that. What a lovely time I had back then.” And it takes a great deal of courage to actually publish something of yours, to put it out into the world for everyone to see.

But sadly, there are judgy people out there. People who think they invented writing, that they have the only right to be recognized, to be acknowledged with what they write. People who are blind to nice words when you want their opinion on your words, who even find the tiniest mistakes in them, no matter how hard you try to take them out (and I can tell you, as a german, I make more mistakes in my words/blogs than I like myself, and I’m always on the edge of castigating myself). There is no nice word whatsover to what you have written down, no nice word of encouragement about all the effort you made to find the words you found in the end. Instead: judgment and this nagging feeling in your stomach, the feeling that you’re just not good enough. That you will NEVER be good enough, no matter how hard you try at being a good writer.

People like that are the worst. They think they are superior because maybe they are better at grammar or articulating themselves, or having better ideas about which they are writing. People like that are always pointing out even the most ridiculous flaws in your stuff because they just can’t take the fact that someone may be as good as they are, maybe sometimes even better. They can’t live with someone taking away their shine, shoving them off the high horse they have put themselves on, or others have done that – which in many cases just isn’t even justified. Because let”s be clear here: if you keep pushing people into reading your stuff, into telling them your opinion, into complimenting you for whatever you have written: that is NOT genuine.

Truth is, people get annoyed if they are pushed into doing that. They start thinking “Oh, for god’s sake, let’s get this over with.” I stand up to what I said before: I WANT my praise, I WANT to be acknowledged, I WANT people to compliment me and spread word about my writing stuff and skills. Jeez, I’m human. I’d be the worst liar in the world if I’d actually claim otherwise. But if I would achieve that by pushing them into doing so, being conscious of the fact that is just NOT genuine if they say it then…I’d rather have nobody saying anything nice to me about my writing at all. I’d rather have real friends enjoying reading my stories and reading about my experiences without ever saying anything to it about me than fake friends who just say it so I shut the hell up about it, so I stop being so full of myself.

In my opinion, being a good writer means being good at articulating yourself (with mistakes allowed, because we’re all human and make mistakes, after all), having just the right ideas and words when you put something down, but also, and that’s even more important, it means being able to acknowledge other writers. Being able to push them into developing more motivation by encouraging them (in a genuine, honest way without just “sugarcoating” because you’re friends), not just showing them their flaws.

Being a good writer means having respect for other writers, instead of putting them down because you think you’re better. It may be true at times, that one writer is better than the other, and maybe both of them even know that. But that does not diminish the fact that respect and decency is the right way in this world. You never know why people write, after all, and what it means to them. Freedom, therapy, fun, whatever, it doesn’t matter. No single writer is actually better than another one.

They’re just different.

And that’s freedom of writing for me.

 

Book Review: Markus Zusak – “The Book Thief”

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. (Source: amazon.com)

I took quite a while for me to read this book. Since the movie came out in the theatres,  I was really interested in reading it, but once I read its description, standing in my local bookstore, I put it down again.

Because it was written by “death”.

Of course I know it’s not really written by “death”, he’s only the narrator, but still, I felt controversal to give it a shot, although the story behind the life of Liesel Meminger – The Third Reich, World War II, the Holocaust – are the three history subjects that I’d never refuse to read about, no matter what. So by pure accident I got hold of a free version of it on my Kindle and decided I had nothing to lose. One thing led to another and I only needed less than two days to finish it (I’m really craving for books recently!).

My conclusion: it was worth it. At first, I had real difficulties to find my own way into the kind of narration that I faced in this book, and halfway through the first 5 pages, I wanted to give up again. But my will to find out if the narration changes, if maybe “death” gives it into the hands of Liesel Meminger, the main character, kept me going. And I’m glad it did.

I love how the reader follows Liesel from scratch; from the moment she can’t even read a single word, to the end, where she writes an entire book about herself. It’s interesting to see her learning new words and expressions every day, just by sitting with her foster-father during every night (that she can’t sleep because nightmares of her dead brother are haunting her), reading with her. It’s like the story holds up some kind of mirror to every reader that follows it, because who can’t remember themselves starting to read in (or in my case, before) school? And who doesn’t look back to it with a shy smile on their faces when they remember their first few tries, sometimes failing miserably, but never giving up? Well, I do remember my first steps, and even if mine never have happened in such a difficult environment as Liesel’s first steps, I can somewhat relate to her. Reading becomes her escape, and the wish to write becomes kind of her lifegoal, the thing that keeps her going. It seems like the narrator (“death”, remember?) draws the reader in, and while Liesel forgets all the horrors of the Nazi-Regime whenever she feels the kick after having stolen a book or reading in the dark basement to Max, the Jew she and her foster-parents have hidden, it almost seems like the reader of “The Book Thief” can himself forget the outside world. A book all about the love to books. Brilliant.

One of the most loveable characters in this book for me was definitely Liesel’s best friend, Rudi Steiner. He is a crazy young boy who’s desperately and (not so) secretly in love with Liesel, and tries to get her to kiss him whenever there is an opportunity (mostly, when he has done something heroic for her or for himself, something he can be admired for). I actually admire him for his attitude, because although he probably knows that Liesel will never kiss him (when you’re 11/12, boys are generally “Ugh” to every girl, I guess, at least in the old days), he never loses his spirit. Plus, he stands by her side through good and bad times, even accompanies her on more than just one “Book Thief” trip. For me, he sums up what a best friend is all about, no matter what. And I think in the dark times of 1939 until 1943, a best friend like him was even more needed than in any peaceful time before or after.

What the book does with Hans Hubermann, Liesel’s foster-father, is simply described as beautiful. He’s an opponent of the Nazi-Regime, but he does his best to keep his family, and – especially, – Liesel safe. With his neverending will to play his accordion to her, to stay up every night to read for and with her, he not only keeps her alive in some way (by making her fall in love with words, reading and at last, writing, with the latter one literally saving her life), but also lets her being the happy girl she should be. With him being the positive spirit in her life, apart from Rudi, the reader never feels that Liesel ever loses faith in life and all it has to give. Even when “death” creeps into her life more and more and in the end, takes everything she believes in.

The way Zusak has written the book has – as I said at the beginning of this blog, – first made it weird to find my way into it and its story, no matter how interesting the history behind it is. Now that I have finished, I almost feel like Liesel during her first steps in learning to read: everything seems confusing, words make no sense, and you just can’t get your head around things and words. But as the story goes on, you find your own way right into it, and that is what makes it impossible to put this book away for long. Especially with the hints that “death” throws in every now and then, that spoilers you but also makes you want to go on, to know how these “spoilers” happen and turn out in the end. And I have to admit, while reading, quite a few times I even forgot that the narrator was “death”, because I breathed the story in, and I stopped reading between the lines. Of course, there are a lot of times where “death” mentions his work, what he does and has to do, and how he goes on and on with what he does. But it almost makes him human, it makes you think of him like someone like you and me, and you actually can feel some kind of empathy for him, for the struggle that goes on behind his own mind.

My resumé: Markus Zusak has done a stroke of genius here, with approaching a storyline from a completely different angle than other authors, from the view of a person that isn’t even a person, but, in some way, is a person, after all. I say it again:

Brilliant.