City of Thieves

Here is the thing, I will go out and say it. I am not particularly interested in books set during WW2, because I find they are often just very similar and... I find it boring. Yes, I can understand the importance of knowing about those things, the war, Holocaust, etc. But at the same time when you're talking about a topic again and again, it often turns into a competition to be the most emotional and... yes, even cheesy. Things turn into cliches.
This time period is also more limiting, as it's a sensitive topic at this point in time, so you can only approach it in certain ways and absolutely not in others.
Because of this, I wasn't entirely sure if this book was going to be good or another one on the pile of things that you have to respect because of your respect for the topic, but you don't like at all.

So we have Lev, a Russian Jewish boy during the siege of Stalingrad. He is awkward, inexperienced in life's things, taking part in some sort of a fire patrol. One night a dead Nazi paratrooper falls right by his house and with his friends they just need to look at him, then... well, take some things from the body. Hard times and all. Of course he gets caught by the police.
Once in prison for the night, he s joined by the deserter Kolya, this amazingly charismatic guy who could talk anyone into anything.
Instead of being executed, though, a colonel tells them that if they mange to get a dozen eggs in a week for his daughter's wedding cake, then they are free and they even get ration cards and all.

What I really liked is that this book had many moments that weren't dignified and beautiful. Kolya loves talking about his bowel movements. People drink, they throw insults at each other (they apparently all fucked each other's mothers), it's all just people. Because even in war, people don't just transform into these wise saying spewing poets. Nah. Life goes on, which includes all this stuff, Yay.
To me it really helped to feel for the people. They are realistic, not fake, beautiful, dignified fakes. It really adds to it all in my opinion. At one part Lev even thinks about how being in danger doesn't just automatically make you a hero.

Bad things happen, obviously. Be prepared for that. Horrible things have to happen in a book in this setting, it's pretty obvious to me, but somehow it wasn't the type of endless suffering with nothing else that bothers me with a lot of books set in this time period. I can understand it, but to me that is definitely not a pleasurable reading experience. There.

I feel like Mr. Benioff really used the limited number of pages well. It didn't feel like he was just writing an overblown short story, it had a whole story and it was obvious he knew where he wasn't going with it.
Often shorter books feel like they are not properly thought out, like they didn't have time to truly work with the story and it's so frustrating. (Hello, Bird Box.)

This is a book I am going to recommend to people, it's really something that combines the material with being actually enjoyable and a good read, something people will truly enjoy.

Good night and pick up this egg-squisite one! (Oh, dear.)