All the Light We Cannot See

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All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr


Genre: Historical Fiction; Adult Fiction

Reviewed by Landon W., 11th Grade

Rating: 9/10

 

All the Light We Cannot See made me cry an ocean. It is a story that takes place during World War II when the Nazis occupied France, specifically the town of Saint-Malo. The book’s point of view is divided between three main characters: Marie-Laure, Werner, and Von Rumpel. 

Marie-Laure, the blind protagonist, shows the reader how to resist injustice despite the limitations that a disabled person may face. Throughout the story, she tries to keep a rebellion going in Saint Malo while she hides a jewel called the Sea of Flames. However, her blindness makes it difficult for her to maneuver through the city. Her story reminds us to always have hope even in our darkest hour. Her chapters are hopeful, at least for most of the book.  Werner, the antihero of the book, shows us someone who will trade their morality for their ambition. He starts out by joining the Nazis, so he can learn more about radios by high profile individuals. He loses his way as the book goes on until he meets Marie-Laure and falls in love with her. Von Rumpel, the main antagonist of the book, shows the reader how greed can destroy a person. Throughout his entire journey, he puts multiple people down just to get a jewel that may get him richer. Von Rumpel interacts and antagonizes Marie-Laure several times throughout the book, providing interesting interactions. The interactions between the characters are one of the most interesting parts of the book.

 

The book also shows how war affects people. For instance, Marie-Laure’s uncle Etienne has PTSD from the World War I and has to slowly cope with it with the help of Marie-Laure. As Marie-Laure’s rebellion gets bigger, Etienne is forced to help to keep Marie-Laure safe. Etienne eventually works to get over his PTSD, allowing him to help Marie-Laure with the rebellion. 

Also, the book is filled with beautiful descriptions like “they blow across the ramparts, turn cartwheels over the rooftops, flutter into ravines between houses.” However, they make the book a bit hard to read at times since they forced me to read the book slowly instead of at my normal reading speed. If I read it at my normal reading speed, I would completely lose track of what was happening in the story. Other than that, the book itself is terrific, and I highly recommend it. It gets a 9 out of 10. 

 

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