All the Light We Cannot See is a haunting and illustrious novel that takes you on a crazy journey through Paris and Germany in WWII. The book follows Marie-Laure, a blind girl who had to flee Paris with her father when the Nazis occupied the city, and a German boy named Werner who loves to fix things.
When the Nazis arrived in Paris, Marie-Laure and her father flee to her great uncle’s house at Saint-Malo. Little does Marie-Laure know they weren’t just escaping to save themselves, but also the Museum of Natural History’s most precious jewel, which her father, the museum’s locksmith, took before fleeing.
Meanwhile, in Germany, there’s an orphan boy, Werner, who lives in an orphanage with his little sister. As the war wages outside their door, Werner finds solace in fixing broken things. However, when he comes across a radio, Werner’s life changes, causing him to take a turn down a path he never expected for himself.
I’m not going to lie; this book did take me a while to get through. At times I wanted to put it down and start something else, but something compelled me to keep going. Thankfully, I did, and the journey All the Light We Cannot See took me on felt so realistic at times that I forgot I was reading fiction. The experiences people witnessed in World War II are honestly so incredible. The bravery, strength, and survival required shone through Marie-Laure throughout this story; no matter how many people left her, she was determined to survive! And Werner, he only wanted to do the right thing!
This book’s imagery was terrific; I felt like I saw what was going on through the character’s eyes. Even though there were many descriptions, it made the scenes easier to imagine and the story even more realistic. All the Light We Cannot See was a great book! A must-read for all Historical Fiction fans.
Book Rating [yasr_multiset setid=0] Ages: 14+
