Death Stopped By

Of all the little decisions a writer must make when he begins a story, I find who is going to speak to be the most fascinating.  It bears sway from the very first sentence and forecasts the shape that the entire story is going to take.

I only want to look at the part from 5:45-6:15!!

In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death is our narrator.

I discovered Death's real power as a narrator around midnight last night.  (This was after I had securely jammed Sleep between Part 7 of Death's novel and the page that comes right before it.  And I told him not to bother coming out and getting me until I had comfortably arrived at my destination.)  Death's narrative genius has nothing to do with the fact that it was he who stumbled upon young Liesel's autobiography.  Nor does it have to do with the one-of-a-kind glimpses that he provides of what is happening in Liesel's war-torn world.  It is in the commentary he gives us about who we are and how we write our own stories.  Consider the following passage from page 307 and 309:

"A SMALL PIECE OF TRUTH:  I do not carry a sickle or scythe.  I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold.  And I don't have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance.  You want to know what I truly look like?  I'll help you out.  Find yourself a mirror while I continue....

"They say that war is death's best friend, but I must offer you a different point of view on that one.  To me, war is like the new boss who expects the impossible.  He stands over your shoulder repeating one thing, incessantly: 'Get it done, get it done.'  So you work harder.  You get the job done.  The boss however does not thank you.  He asks for more."