Last night I completed The Book Thief, which was very good, but I'm not sure that it lives up to all the hype it has been given. As a WWII novel, it pales in comparison to Milkweed, Katerina, Slaughterhouse 5, Night, and so many others. However, it makes a very powerful statement about the transformative power of the written word. The story is narrated by Death, which is a device that is new to me. The style is largely poetic and sparse, and I think it would be a book left unfinished by quite a few readers. The book has been touted as written for young people, but I believe it is more suited to adults, despite the fact that the main character is a child.
A few days ago I finished The Space Between Us, a story about a untouchable servant in India, and her relationship with her employer. The two women have parrallel, interdependent lives. The rhythm of their lives is disrupted when the careful boundaries between their castes erode. The result is catastrophic. The book was reminiscent of Kite Runner, but was much more depressing- it lacked the feel-good sense of redemption at the conclusion. Of the two novels, however, I expect the former is more realistic and haunting.
Presently, I am in the middle of JesusLand which is a memoir written by a woman about my age. It chronicles the harsh reality of a bi-racial family trying to live in rural Indiana in the 1970's. The treatment of the family by the Hoosiers is truly shocking. I can only hope that some of them read this book, recognize themselves, and feel ashamed.
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