top of page

All The Light We Cannot See- Book Review

About the author-

Anthony Doerr is an American author born in Ohio and has penned books like The shell collector, Cloud cuckoo land, and Four Seasons in Rome. He is a novelist by profession. His stories take us to different countries where he has lived and worked. All the light we cannot see is a Pulitzer award-winning book as well as New York Times bestseller which was out in 2014. The book has also been adapted in form of series and will be out in November, 2023.

Storyline-

The story starts with Marie a little girl who eventually becomes blind and is unable to see. She lives in Paris and her major supporter is his father who teaches Marie to walk through the streets of their city by counting her steps and listening to specific bird sounds and other sounds on the streets. Marie's father also builds a small scaled model of the city to make sure Marie is aware of each and every infrastructure. All of these takes place amidst the World War II.


When Marie turns twelve years old, the Nazis attack Paris and they have to move to Saint-Malo with a very precious gem of the Paris Museum, where Marie's father worked. They flee to Marie's uncle's home and then Marie's father moves out to hand over the gem. A few copies of the gem were made and the original one was hidden as the jewel held historic importance to Paris. Marie's father is captivated in a camp by the Nazis, sadly they never meet again. Marie's aunt Madame Manec undertakes many resistance movements against the Nazis but she gets ill and dies.

The story simultaneously revolves around a young orphan boy named Werner who lives in Germany with his sister, Jutta. Werner is a very intelligent boy and he proves it by repairing radios and machines that no other technician could repair. Werner undergoes army training at the Nazi army. He eventually enters the Nazi army as a soldier. A war strikes between France and Germany and Marie is stuck in her uncle's home inside the attic. She tries to ask for help using a radio but the transmission reach to Werner's radio. Werner follows it and reaches Marie's place. Here is where the two main characters Werner and Marie meet. Marie shows Werner the model of the city which she carried from Paris to Saint-Malo. Both of them remain unaware of their identities and against all the odds they try to be good with each other.


"Time is a slippery thing: Lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever."
-Anthony Doerr (All the light we cannot see)

In the end, Werner is martyred. His belongings are returned to his sister wherein she finds a model. Marie turns eighty-six years old and is seen walking with her grandson. Jutta finds out about Marie and returns the model to her where she finds the original hidden gem.


What I liked about the book-

The book runs the plot of the two protagonists simultaneously and there is constant switching of plots. There is a very good emotional connection shown between Marie and her father and it also reflects how a single father takes care of a visually challenged child. There are a lot of incidents that take place throughout the story which are tied up to each other. The language is easy to read with appropriate vocabulary.


Something exceptional about the book was that it includes numerous quotes which leave a reader in deep thinking. It is an entire roller coaster-like plot and puts the reader in awe every time a situation ends. The story has a lot of little learnings a person could grab. The characters as well as the plot settings and venues are described well. It is a long read and requires time to understand the plot's venue and timing but the novel is worth reading.


I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend readers to have a grab at this fantastic book.

73 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


Drop a message and I will respond to it as soon as possible.

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Thanks for submitting!

© 2023 by Sturmfreii (Dhruvi Gohil)

Personal Blogs

bottom of page