All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr is a moving and beautifully written war novel about the reality and horrors of war.
The novel follows Marie-Laure Leblanc, a girl who lost her sight due to cataracts in both eyes when she was young, who must flee her once comforting and peaceful days in Paris and stay with her great-uncle, and Werner Pfennig, a young orphan who is fascinated and skilled with radios and electronics living in an impoverished Germany.
Marie-Laure and her father’s relationship moved me as her father was supportive and patient until the end with her, always gifting her books and objects to widen her horizon.
When reading from Marie-Laures perspective it feels as if I’m experiencing everything along with her - her joy, amazement and wonder of the world despite being unable to see it physically and Doerrs writing encapsulated this beautifully.
From reading her perspective we also witness, however, the affects war has upon people.
Later on in the book upon threat of an invasion Marie-Laure and her father are forced to evacuate and flee their home to seek shelter from her great uncle.
When evacuating Doerr portrays the unadulterated panic and fear amongst the crowds: we see desperate families trying to leave, people attempting to take their whole lives work with them, and violent accidents happening due to the onslaught of evacuees.
While Marie-Laures perspective conveys the panic and terror of threats of foreign invasion, Werner’s perspective illustrates the societal pressure and prejudice happening in Germany during a totalitarian rule.
Werners story begins with him at the orphanage with his younger sister Jutta, after having lost their father to a cave in at a coal mine.
Werner is presented as a bright, curious child and has an affinity when it came to radios and building them, having repaired a radio so the other kids and Frau Elena, the headmistress of the orphanage, could listen to shows.
After fixing a generals radio his talent is recognised and he is sent a political school, and here is where we start to see hints of prejudice and discrimination.
Examples such as Werner being praised for the whiteness of his hair, while other kids were rejected due to their dark hair.
Later on in Werner’s education we start to see his peers and teachers pressure him, and Werner recognises the wrongness of this all when he realises that all the pupils are being taught, trained, to be the perfect soldier.
It was interesting seeing Werner struggle between his own morality and society’s expectations.
I would rate this book a 5/5, the characters, their flaws, personalities and growth throughout the book, were done perfectly and it felt as if I was reading about a real person.
Additionally, the world building was rich and immersive and it felt as if I was looking through their eyes, as if I could see the streets and houses and it felt as if I’ve been there before.
This review does not contain the full story and so I highly recommend you to read the full book as it bring a realistic perspective of war but also portrays two entirely different characters who have experienced the same war in contrasting ways and have been affected differently.
