Publication Info
All the Light We Cannot See is a historical fiction novel written by Anthony Doerr and published by Scribner Publishing on May 6, 2014. It is a #1 New York Times Bestseller as well as a world renowned novel and has won several awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2015, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction in 2015, the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Historical Fiction in 2014, and the Audie Award for Fiction in 2015. It is critically acclaimed by many and recognized as one of the greatest novels of the past decade.
Brief Summary
This novel is a bit different than many others within this genre. Rather than following one protagonist throughout the story, we are introduced to two; a blind French girl named Marie-Laure, and Werner Pfennig, a young orphaned German boy.
Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris where he works at the Museum of Natural History. After learning that the Nazis are coming to occupy Paris, 12 year old Marie-Laure and her father leave to seek refuge at the walled city of Saint-Malo. It is here that we are introduced to her deranged uncle Etienne who lives in a house right next to the sea.
Werner Pfennig is an orphan living in the German mining town of Zollverein with his younger sister Jutta. He discovers early in his youth that upon the age of 15 he will be required to work in the mines along with all of the other men. However, after finding an old radio and fixing it, he finds that he is naturally gifted in fixing and improving things. Because of this he is sent to a Nazi training school were he learns the basic on how to triangulate and pinpoint positions based on radio waves.
The story jumps back and forth between two different timelines, one in August of 1944, and the other in 1934. As the book progresses these two timelines continue to grow ever closer together until finally they merge as one.
Review
I have very mixed feelings on this book so I will try to be as clear as possible. I also feel like I am going against the popular opinion with this, so I am sorry in advance.
This book is very....ehhhh. The story is decent and has plenty of moments that draw the reader in and immerse them in the novel. However, those moments are few and far between. I told my wife multiple times that I just did not have the motivation to read the book. Part of that has to do with the formatting.
Now for those of you who have read my previous blogs, you know that I am a stickler when it comes to how a book is formatted. And I believe rightly so. Formatting can either enhance or hinder the readers immersion into the book. As I have said above, the book focuses on our two protagonists. Because of this it switches between the two every chapter. For example, chapter 1 may focus on Marie-Laure while chapter 2 focuses on Werner Pfennig and so on. This doesn't sound like it would be a hinderance until you learn that the chapters are only 1-3 pages each. You may think that I am exaggerating, but I can assure you that I am not. There are several chapters that are only a half page and only 2 or 3 that are four pages or longer. This makes the book seem very disjointed in my opinion. I was reading reviews on Goodreads to see if it was just me that felt this way, and I was honestly surprised to find that many felt my frustration. One person said it very well that is seemed like the book was written for those with shorter attention spans, so as to give them little snippets and then move on.
I wish that Doerr would have dived deeper into the characters that he creates. Many of them just get a tacked on ending that leaves the reader unsatisfied and lacking closure.
I have been pretty harsh on this book, but there are some redeeming qualities throughout. The last 100 pages or so are fantastic. I so wish that the rest of the book had been as interesting to me. It took me around 2 weeks to read the first 400 pages of the book and only 1 day to finish the last 100. I also think that the characters of Marie-Laure and Werner Pfennig are well written. Doerr does a great job of helping the reader identify and empathize with their situations. Finally, I believe that Doerr has done a great job of detailing the world in which the reader is placed in. He has a gift of describing exactly what he wants the reader to picture and for that I praise him.
Overall, this book is not what I thought it would be. I don't know if my expectations were wrongly adjusted or if I missed what Doerr intended, but this book was not one that I enjoyed reading. I am saddened that this book has received so much positive feedback and acclaim, and I cannot reciprocate. It won a Pulitzer prize. That is quite the accomplishment. And yet I had to force myself to finish it.
Recommendations
While I do not think that everyone will enjoy this book, there are a few people to whom I would recommend this book. If you are a fan of historical fiction or fiction in general, this would be a good book for you to check out. Likewise, if you are a fan particularly of World War II fiction this book is right up your alley.
Rating - 3/5
Currently Reading:
Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens
Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien
The History of the Hobbit (part 1) by John D. Rateliff
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