All the Light We Cannot See

Genre: Fiction

This is the story of Marie-Laure, a young girl growing up in Paris, France and Werner, a young boy growing up in Germany, around the beginning of World War II. With the arrival of the Nazis in Paris, Marie-Laure and her father escape to the small historical village of Saint-Malo and home of Etienne, Marie-Laure’s uncle. As a child, Werner excels in mechanics and is eventually recruited by the German army and ends up serving his command at Saint-Malo. As a young child, Marie-Laure loses her sight so her clever father builds her an exact replica of their Paris neighborhood so that she can travel it with her fingers and eventually traverse the neighborhood in person and on her own. He does the same for their new, temporary home at Saint-Malo. Marie-Laure and Werner’s lives cross paths in the most fortuitous of ways and end up rescuing each other not just from the physical ravages of war, but from the fear, loss and loneliness that ravage the mind during this time in their lives. Their lives become intertwined forever.

What a good story this is! It’s like a really good piece of cake. There are so many layers and intricacies that add up to the richness of flavor and fluffy texture (this analogy would have worked so much better with wine, but I don’t like wine, so cake will have to do). This is my second time reading this book and I really enjoyed it again. If you are a lover of a good story built around good characters, an intricate tale and a beautifully weaved storyline, do yourself a favor and read this one. It is one of those stories you’ll sink into and enjoy and when it’s all over, you’ll feel like you’re missing something.