Chapter 44 - Fresh Air, An Old Nightmare, and What to Do with A Jewish Corpse

By the Amper River, Liesel tells Rudy she wants another book from the mayor’s house. Despite Rudy’s impatience, Liesel enters the open library window alone and selects a red book, Der Traumträger (The Dream Carrier), thinking of Max’s dreams and her own recurring nightmare. She escapes, and they ride away in the cold.

At home, Liesel begins a strict routine, reading The Dream Carrier to the unconscious Max every morning and afternoon, hoping the words will rouse him. As the days pass, Rosa reaches breaking point and, with Hans, anxiously debates what to do if Max dies in their house—how to hide a Jewish corpse without exposing the family.

That night, Liesel wakes from a revised version of her train nightmare in which her dead brother’s face becomes Max’s. Shaken, she questions her fears and loyalties, then returns to Max’s bedside, desperate for him to live. Max remains unresponsive for eight more days.

Rosa stages a public scolding at Liesel’s school as cover to whisper the news: Max has woken. She slips Liesel Max’s favorite toy soldier. Euphoric, Liesel returns to class and endures a slap for calling her mother a “stupid cow,” unbothered because Max is alive.

Back home, Max, weak but alert, thanks Liesel for the gifts and her reading. They frankly acknowledge the family’s dilemma over his potential death, and Max admits he fears falling asleep again. Liesel vows to keep him awake, reading and rousing him whenever he dozes. Over the next days, Max regains strength and returns to the basement as outside news of bombings in Lübeck and Cologne signals escalating danger.