Markus Zusak is the author of several books, but he’s probably best known for The Book Thief, which has sold 16 million copies worldwide, is published in 42 foreign language territories, and has spent over 500 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

It’s been 13 years since The Book Thief was published. And now Zusak has a new book that he thinks is even better: Bridge of Clay, a sweeping family saga about five boys who raise each other, in a way, after their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance.

KMUW's Beth Golay spoke with Markus Zusak just prior to the book’s release about his latest work and its history.

Here's the conversation:

Markus Zusak’s first novel since his best-selling The Book Thief, left me feeling exasperated and at times utterly bored. While Bridge of Clay possesses a compelling, breezy narrative voice that immediately draws you in, this tale of five Australian brothers reconnecting with their estranged father is too often meandering and sluggish. Furthermore, its fragmentary style (with chapters broken into small scenes that only last a few paragraphs) never allows you to fully settle into the story and will surely test many a reader’s patience. Despite some excellent, lyrical prose this is a novel that would have greatly benefited from an unsparing edit.