In just over 250 pages, Benioff delivers an expertly crafted World War II story of cinematic proportions. After learning that he co-created the on screen adaptation of Game Of Thrones it made perfect sense to expect nothing less. City of Thieves has all the ingredients for a solid big screen World War II drama. It’s a coming-of-age story of two boys that serves up some edge-of-your-seat, left-of-center plot twists you don’t see coming. It’s got friendship, it’s got a love-story, it’s got lovable deeply human characters. All of this unfolds over the course of a few days during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.
It’s been a minute since I picked up a World War II related book. I got the audiobook, and it was really nicely produced. In particular, during the more heartfelt scenes a classical piano score was introduced that served to deepen the emotional experience. It also happended to be the Labour Day weekend here in Toronto while I was in the middle of this audiobook. And, Labour Day weekend in Toronto is synonymous with the Air Show. All that to say, the aeronautical prowess on display meant the skies were noisy enough that the windows of my apartment were vibrating. But it got me thinking about the two protagonists Lev and Kolya trudging along the snow fields with the constant droning of Nazi aircrafts overhead. While that noise was an unwelcome distraction from my audiobook, it served as a reminder of what it might have really been like during WWII.
And for a couple of hours I wasn’t in downtown Toronto on Labour Day 2024. I was right beside Lev and Kolya in Leningrad, in January 1942, on an absurd mission to secure a dozen eggs that will lead them behind enemy lines. It’s thrilling and terryfying as it explores the absurdities of wartime. Making it an unputdownable page-turner. I laughed. I cried. And towards the end I just didn’t want it to end. When I did finish it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and the number one feeling I felt was delight. City of Thieves is the kind of book that reminded me of the many reasons why I continue to read and love fiction.
Here are some of my highlights.
- “Contrary to popular belief, the experience of terror does not make you braver. Perhaps though, it is easier to hide your fear when you’re afraid all the time.”
- “-What’s the good news? -Pardon? -You said the bad news is we’re going the wrong way. -There isn’t any good news. Just because there’s bad news doesn’t mean there’s good news, too.”
- “Don’t worry, my friend. I won’t let you die.I was seventeen and stupid and I believed him.”
- “I’ve always envied people who sleep easily. Their brains must be cleaner, the floorboards of the skull well swept, all the little monsters closed up in a steamer trunk at the foot of the bed.”
- “Truth might be stranger than fiction, but it needs a better editor.”