A rich historical fiction work that offers hope in the midst of war-torn France.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Scribner, 2014. 531 pages.
Reading Level: Adult (Ages 16 and up)
Recommended For: Teens and adults, ages 16 and up
Marie-Laure, blind since age 6, cherishes the intricately detailed three-dimensional map of their city her father made her–should anything happen to him. Prescient since the two live in a France that is rapidly being taken over by the Nazis. The inevitable comes, and Marie-Laure and her father flee their city for the countryside and a grumpy old relative. But the father is carrying a secret that the Nazis very much desire. When he goes missing, Marie-Laure’s great uncle and his housekeeper step in to help the girl navigate their new town. Across the miles, a young German boy shows great aptitude for radio work even though he is a mere orphan. Quickly rising in the Nazi ranks (albeit against his better judgment at times), Werner longs for the times when he and his sister huddled around a contraband radio, listening to a strange Frenchman and the music he played. When the Nazis come to Marie-Laure’s town, Werner is one of their number. And their stories collide, swirling together much like the waves Marie-Laure hears and the music memories Werner clings to.
Sometimes, a best seller earns its place because of a powerful story. Sometimes, the writing itself is exquisite with perfect sentences, strong imagery, and skillful pacing. Perhaps the characters are memorable and reflect the essence of humanity in ways myriad readers recognize. All the Light We Cannot See accomplishes each of these things in a larger than life story. Ultimately hopeful, Doerr gives us a story that is part mystery, part love story, part history. Wartime is full of hardships, and Doerr doesn’t hide those, but the focus of the story is on Marie-Laure’s bravery in the midst of her blindness, her uncle’s newly awakened courage, Werner’s bravery and sacrificial love, and the courage of a small group of villagers when the enemy comes to town. This is a novel written for the adult market, but it is surprisingly “clean”: language, sex, and violence are all present, but they are less graphically-described compared to much teen fiction. The protagonists are teenagers themselves through much of the book, making it accessible to teens. A great book for parents and teens to read, enjoy, and discuss together. Ask each other what you would have done in the shoes of various characters, to what extent you would stand up for a friend, and how you might overcome handicaps such as Marie-Laure’s blindness or Werner’s poverty. You might also discuss the gift of music, the ways in which people used their gifts to help others and fight against evil (or used their gifts for ill), and what you think of the ending.
Cautions: Sexuality (an unwed liaison, references to soldiers’ likely treatment of victims*), Violence (war-time crimes), Language (minimal). *Depending on your teen’s maturity, this is a good book to pre-read. Just because a scene isn’t explicitly described doesn’t mean it will be appropriate for your family/school.
Overall Rating: 4.75
Worldview Rating: 4.5
Artistic Rating: 5.0
For another WWII book that crosses over from the teen to adult market, check out Salt to the Sea.
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I just finished this book! I didn’t read the review until afterwards. Jutta was my favorite character.
I haven’t finished this book yet but I am enjoying it. I do feel like some extra caution is needed regarding the language in this book. When I think of “minimal “ language I think of swear words that aren’t that offensive. But this book pulls out the big one. It’s used only twice so far but I am glad I am prereading this book for my son. Which kinda defeats the point of this website. So yes it’s used “minimally” but I would also like to know what type of words are being used.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the book, Tara! Generally, we’re more specific with our language concerns when we’re reviewing works for younger readers. But books written for the adult market are compared to other books in the adult market; we assume that mature teens will be reading those works and able to handle the content a little differently. In that respect, the amount of language in this book is “minimal” when compared with similar works for adults. I’m sorry I didn’t specify particular words. We’ve reviewed lots of other works set during WWII that are better suited for readers who aren’t yet reading adult titles in case you’d like to check them out: https://redeemedreader.com/tag/world-war-ii/
I read this book with the intention of having my sons read it as well. I’m so glad I read it first! The beginning of the book was so enjoyable…the intriguing concept and the authors descriptions were fantastic. However, I was very disappointed in the foul language scattered throughout and especially the disturbing rape scene toward the end of this book….completely inappropriate for young readers. If this is considered ‘minimal’, then the state of teen fiction is in a dismal state. I am definitely not letting my kids read this book, in fact I didn’t even want it to remain in my house, and my goal in leaving a comment here is to warn parents with a bit more detail so they can make a more informed decision on this one. Thanks!
Thank you for your comment, Shay. Unfortunately, you’re absolutely right: the state of teen fiction IS pretty dismal these days. Many of the titles lurking on the YA shelves are littered with foul language (far more than this title) and contain far more graphic sexual content than this book. I apologize, though, for the lack of specificity. This is an older review, written before our more recent “considerations” which spell out more specifically what we find in a given book. It is also an “adult” reading level, and we usually review adult titles with other adult titles in mind (meaning we assume they are more, well, “adult” in nature, and for more mature teens).
We read this in class -at school- not inappropriate at all. It is a WW2 book, what do you expect? The book is telling a story taking place during WW2, sorry to break it to you but those times were assumably not that great. I didn’t even notice the foul language that your so passionate about. The rape scene is an aspect of the book that is vital to the atrocities that occured in WW2. It showed that even the innocent Germans had atrocities committed on them. I loved this book, the storytelling was beautiful, the character backstory was so well developed and I would recommend this book to anyone.
Thanks for the comments. I was going to purchase this book for my 93 year old father but now that I’m aware of the language issues I will look for a different book for his birthday.