Ms. Hen reviews All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr

Scribner

2014

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she had read about it, and had been meaning to get to it for a while. It was recommended to her, and when she started reading it, she realized it was the perfect book for her in that moment. She usually shies away from reading really long books, but this moved fast, and she gulped it down.

This novel is about a young blind girl, Marie Laure, who lives in France, and a young man, Werner, who lives in Germany during World War II. The narrative darts back and forth between these two characters, and we learn about Marie Laure's life with her father in Paris; he works at the Museum of Natural History as a locksmith, and they leave for the north of France at the outbreak of the war.

Werner is an orphan in Germany, but he has talent with electronics and radios, and he goes to school to learn to be a soldier, but he is sensitive and does not totally embrace the Nazi ideals. Werner's and Marie Laure's lives intersect. A stone called the Sea of Flames lies hidden in the museum, legend has it that it is a cursed stone, and whoever is in possession of it will live forever, but their loved ones will perish.

Ms. Hen loved the way this novel moved back and forth between the two characters, and also between time periods. She thinks there is enough mystery to keep the reader reading, and the chapters are short, so this is a fast read. The novel is also a thriller, and Ms. Hen didn't know what would happen in the end.

Ms. Hen thinks the writing in this novel is exquisite and precise. Each word is carefully placed where it is. She also admires the way the author wrote the sections about Marie Laure, and how she moves in the world. It's difficult to write about a blind person, but reading these parts made Ms. Hen understand that the character would smell odors on people others would not, and hearing sounds and understanding what they mean that seeing people would not be able to decipher. Writing about disabled people can be challenging, but the author succeeds in this.

Ms. Hen thinks this book is lovely, and she understand why it is critically acclaimed. It's a tender novel about life and love and war, and Ms. Hen would recommend it to anyone who wishes to be swept away.