Sometimes I dread doing book reviews even though the book in question was truly amazing. After reading All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr I had no idea how I could eloquently sum up this beautiful book and really do it justice. I won't be able to of course for Doerr's writing is truly breathtaking and I can honestly say it's been a long time since I've read a book of such a high calibre. It felt like every word had been chosen for a reason, even sentence been perfectly constructed to flow just so.
The book centres around the lives of two youths leading up to and during the Second World War. Blind since she was six years old, Marie-Laure learnt to navigate the streets of Paris when her Father constructed a miniature of her neighborhood for her to study with her fingers. When Father and daughter flee Paris to take refuge in Saint Malo, the walled city by the sea, her Father takes with him something very valuable that he must keep safe from Nazi hands.
Miles away in Germany a young orphan named Werner has been noticed for his talents with working with radios, a skill the Hitler Youth are keen on nurturing. Although intelligent and physically able, Werner's success in the Hitler Youth is more about keeping himself from a life destined as a labourer in the mines than serving the Fuhrer.
As Marie Laure and Werner's lives continue throughout the war their lives are seemingly being pulled toward one another. Told with spectacular description and a gentleness which is not often present during war.I loved that so much of the story was spent developing Marie and Werner's character stories so that by the final chapters I was so reluctant to finish reading!
Rating: 5 stars
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