Markus Zusak uses literary devices such as foreshadowing and irony to hint at or in this case literally tell the reader events in the future.
He uses the character of death to do this.
Some quotes to show this :
“Here is a small fact” “You are going to die”
Death says this right at the start of the book, on page 1. I think the reason Zusak does this so early on in the book, is to engage the reader from page 1, by saying something Ludacris like we are all going to die. It slaps some reality into us straight away, because it’s true. It also means that Death can foreshadow throughout the book and we get used to it.
“ Soon I will clap them together. Just give me a few pages”
Death says this about clapping Max and Liesel together as if he is holding them in each hand and can manipulate their fate and lead them towards each other.
“Then came the seventh side of the dice. Two days after Germany invaded Russia, Three days before Britain and the Soviets joined forces”
The seven-sided dice foreshadow reveals that the war begins just after Liesel and Isla have their falling out.
“ In September, they did not hear it as they slept. Either the radio was already half-broken, or it was swallowed immediately by the crying sound of sirens”
This foreshadowing reveals that in Liesel, Hans and Rosa’s next few pages, that the radio they bought to warn them of air raids fails them and immediately the reader thinks that they are bombed and die. When we keep reading this becomes true, but we are slightly prepared for it, so the shock of the event it lessened. ( Still cried though:))
“A book floated down the Amper River. A boy jumped in, caught up to it and held it high in his right hand. He grinned. He stood waist deep in the icy, Decemberish water. How about a kiss Saumensch?” he said. …. How about a kiss? How about a kiss? Poor Rudy”
Death foreshadows when Rudy shows his love for Liesel by retrieving her book from the river. Death reveals subtly that Rudy does not get his kiss from Liesel by saying “Poor Rudy” .
“A small announcement about Rudy Steiner” “He didn’t deserve to die the way he did”
This foreshadowing attempt is just cruel. It spoils the plot and reveals that Rudy dies and makes us start hanging on to every page that Rudy hasn’t died yet. Again, it engages us.
“Pre-emptivley you conclude, as I would, that Rudy died that very same day, of hypothermia. He did not.” …… ” He’d have been glad to witness her kissing his dusty, bomb-hit lips”
Here Death literally reveals that Rudy did not die from the river, but is bombed 2 yrs later. He also revealed that he finally got his kiss from Liesel, which is very significant giving the fact that Rudy spent years loving Liesel.
“Of course, im being rude. I’m spoiling the ending, not only of the entire book. but of this particular piece of it” I have given you two events in advance, because i don’t have much interest in building mystery”