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All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
ISBN: 978-1-4767-4658-6
Publisher: Scribner
Copyright date: 2014

Summary: All the Light We Cannot See tells the story of two young people living and surviving in Europe throughout the horrors of World War II. We are first introduced to Marie-Laure. She lives in Paris with her beloved father, who works at the Museum of Natural History. At age six, she goes blind, and at age twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris. She and her father escape to the sea-side town of Saint-Malo to live with her uncle, and unbeknownst to Marie-Laure, they carry something precious with them.

 

Werner grows up in an orphanage in a mining town in Germany, and spends his free time assembling and disassembling radios with his sister. Listening to the radio seems to be the only light in his life, but soon his skills earn him a special place in Hitler Youth. Werner soon comes to know the terrors of war, and his path converges with Marie-Laure’s in a way neither of them expect. 

 

Critical Evaluation: Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See shines in practically every area a novel can. Despite being an adult novel, the two main characters are young adults that teenagers will be able to sympathize with and relate to. Teens will also come to truly recognize the horrors of World War II through the eyes of Marie-Laure and Werner. Because of the adult themes, reader discretion is advised, especially for younger teens.

 

All the Light We Cannot See is written in short chapters sure to captivate the reader, and contains elements of historical fiction and mythology. It is well paced, and the short chapters and switching points of view keep the reader engaged throughout. Doerr writes with great description, and the settings practically hop off the page, for better or for worse. For example, he writes, “Not so long ago, the Hotel of Bees was a cheerful address, with bright blue shutters on its facade and oysters on ice in its café and Breton waiters in bow ties polishing glasses behind its bar. It offered twenty-one guest rooms, commanding sea views, and a lobby fireplace as big as a truck” (2014, p. 7). 

 

The novel is full of both symbolism and harsh realities, showcasing how no one can escape the true horrors of war and how it can destroy the spirit. It puts forth that humanity and hope cannot ever truly be lost, and readers are sure to feel connected to characters. Though written from a third person point of view as opposed to first, Marie-Laure and Werner’s hopes and fears are felt intensely.  

 

When reading, it is clear that the story is leading to an epic climax, and when Marie-Laure and Werner finally do cross paths, it is certainly not disappointing. While many stories fail to live up to the expectations that are built throughout the story, All the Light We Cannot See does the opposite. The lead up, climax, and resolution are all equally as satisfying. This is a novel that will stay with the reader far after they are finished with it. 

 

Reader’s Annotation: World War II is ravaging Europe. A blind Parisian girl and a young Nazi soldier’s paths will cross in a way they never expect. 

Author Info: “Anthony Doerr was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He is the author of the story collections The Shell Collector and Memory Wall, the memoir Four Seasons in Rome, and the novels About Grace and All the Light We Cannot See, which was awarded the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. His newest novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land, was published on September 28, 2021, and is shortlisted for the National Book Award.

 

Doerr’s short stories and essays have won five O. Henry Prizes and been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories, New American Stories, The Best American Essays, The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Fiction, and many other places. His work has been translated into over forty different languages and won the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, the Rome Prize, the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an NEA Fellowship, an Alex Award from the American Library Association, the National Magazine Award for Fiction, four Pushcart Prizes, two Pacific Northwest Book Awards, four Ohioana Book Awards, the 2010 Story Prize, which is considered the most prestigious prize in the U.S. for a collection of short stories, and the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award. All the Light We Cannot See was a #1 New York Times bestseller, remained on the New York Times Bestseller List for over 200 weeks, and is being adapted as a limited series by Netflix.

 

Doerr lives in Boise, Idaho with his wife and two sons. Though he is often asked, as far as he knows he is not related to the late writer Harriet Doerr.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.anthonydoerr.com/author/bio

 

Genre: Historical fiction

 

Booktalk Ideas: 

  • Marie-Laure’s father’s acts of ingenuity save both his daughter’s life, and a precious artifact. Discussion of this creativity and real-life examples in history.

  • Can we feel feel sympathy for Werner, despite the fact that he is a Nazi? Why or why not?

 

Reading Level: Grades 10 and up, reader discretion advised

 

Challenge Issues: Atrocities of war/adult read/death/rape

 

Reason for Including: All the Light We Cannot See has won a Pulitzer Prize and an Andrew Carnegie medal, and despite being an adult novel I feel that its two teen main characters make it an excellent read for young adults looking to dig into something a bit deeper. It’s a beautiful novel and although it hits hard, it educates about the truth of what war is, and like other historical fiction novels, will teach empathy to all who read it. 

 

References

 

Doerr, A. (2014). All the light we cannot see. Scribner. 

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