All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2014)

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2014)

A historical fiction that weaves together different stories during WWII. 

Laura’s Rating: 4/5 Stars

Plot: The book follows a young German boy and a teenaged blind girl living in Paris during WWII both at the start of the war and later in 1944 during the Battle of Saint-Malo. 

Opinion: With so many historical fiction books based on WWII, I really enjoyed the unique perspectives in this novel that kept it feeling fresh. Both Werner and Marie-Laure were deeply embedded in my heart as the story went on.

A major focus is radios, and how they shaped a lot of the war. Radios were used by the military on both sides and by civilians. Radios spread information, sewed seeds of discord, and kept people informed. They allowed a vast area with many different people to be connected in ways both good and bad. Radios now seem like such a trivial piece of technology, but Doerr underlines their huge impact on the world in this novel.

This book is long. I felt like it was reaching a climax at only a little over halfway through. Admittedly, there was still plenty of plot left, but I think the overall book could be shorter by about 20%. I specifically didn’t need the last few chapters, although I understand their purpose of illustrating the long term effects of the war.

I think Anthony Doerr’s writing style can be hard to digest, especially at first (see my review on Cloud Cuckoo Land). He writes very poetically at times, which can be beautiful, but it’s not always straightforward. If you can follow the switching perspectives and timelines, I think this book is worth a read.