I think to be writer you have to enjoy being alone. I was a loner as a teenager and was always drawn to characters in books and films who were at the fringes.

Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of.

The book thief has struck for the first time – the beginning of an illustrious career.

The injury of words. Yes, the brutality of words.

20 minutes later: a girl on Himmel Street. She looks up. She speaks in whisper. 'The sky is soft today, Max. The clouds are so soft and sad, and...' She looks away and crosses her arms. She thinks of her papa going to war and grabs her jacket at each side of her body. 'And it's cold, Max. It's so cold.

I'm gonna hunt my life down and grab it.

Everything was good. But it was awful, too.