AUTHOR Markus Zusak thought The Book Thief would be his least successful novel.
Instead, the critically acclaimed book sold millions of copies worldwide and has been transformed into a beautifully realised film.
On the eve of the film’s release last Thursday, the former Engadine High School student told the Leader there were moments that felt like a dream.
‘‘The first time I saw it it was like a blur but I’m becoming more emotionally attached to it each time I see it,” Zusak said.
The book is set in Nazi Germany in 1939 and describes a young girl’s relationship with her foster parents, the other residents of their neighbourhood, and a young Jewish man who hides in her home during the escalation of WWII.
But the film, narrated by Death, is not all heartbreak; there is love, humanity and even laugh-out-loud moments.
‘‘There are lots of really beautiful moments in the film; any scene that Max [Ben Schnetzer] is in. He brings such beauty to that role,’’ Zusak said.
‘‘Rosa [Emily Watson] is the quiet heart of the film. Everyone goes to Geoffrey Rush’s performance but she loves in a different way.’’
Visiting the German set, Zusak said he made sure he took it all in.
‘‘Geoffrey and Emily treated me like an old friend and the book like an old friend,’’ he said.
‘‘That doesn’t always happen.’’
Zusak is quick to point out it isn’t his film and he didn’t have control over what made the cut.
‘‘You let go of these things and see them as two separate things: the book and the film,’’ he said.
‘‘You still feel a bit heartbroken that there are things you would have loved to have seen in it but the film has to be itself.’’
Having the film scored by legendary composer John Williams, who created the Star Wars soundtracks, was the icing on the cake.
The Book Thief was written when Zusak lived at Gymea.
‘‘Riding my bike to Cronulla, going for a swim and then going home and writing is one of the happiest moments of my life. I wrote 200 pages without really thinking,’’ he said.
‘‘It is the most natural thing in the world to say I wrote this book in the shire. I feel really connected to that place.
‘‘It feels surreal at times. I often feel like I’m not the same person who wrote the book.
‘‘It feels a long way from Cambrai Avenue, Engadine, but in a way, not so.
‘‘I never sit down and think ‘I’ve come a long way’.’’
