Meet Death, a jolly old chap, and the narrator of the story. This is not the Death you are use to, this is a Death without a cloak or skull and scythe. No, this is a Death, who if you want to see, "Find the nearest mirror, and look into it," as he says. Death never really becomes interested in people's lives, yet when he runs into Liesel three times and finds a book she wrote herself, he becomes interested. So, he reads and finds Liesel's story interesting enough to tell, considering how many times they ran into each other, and decides to tell it through this story.
Death is not only the narrator of the story, but the guide as well. This improves the story by giving you different perspectives of the characters. Death is able to travel through time to show the future and the deaths that are in it. Throughout the pages of the book, there are bold-faced interruptions about the thoughts of Death and helpful "tips" to help with what is going on around the story. Even though Death will never be totally human, he has lots of human qualities. You could say that Death is in the unlucky position of having human-like emotions, but never being allowed to be a part of society. Ultimately, he is still the one that comes to separate our souls from our bodies. He will always be separate from us. Now, it is important not to assume that Death causes people to die, instead it is a result of physical death. He simply exists because people die and need his help to transition into the afterlife.
Death is not only the narrator of the story, but the guide as well. This improves the story by giving you different perspectives of the characters. Death is able to travel through time to show the future and the deaths that are in it. Throughout the pages of the book, there are bold-faced interruptions about the thoughts of Death and helpful "tips" to help with what is going on around the story. Even though Death will never be totally human, he has lots of human qualities. You could say that Death is in the unlucky position of having human-like emotions, but never being allowed to be a part of society. Ultimately, he is still the one that comes to separate our souls from our bodies. He will always be separate from us. Now, it is important not to assume that Death causes people to die, instead it is a result of physical death. He simply exists because people die and need his help to transition into the afterlife.