All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2015. As it definitely should have, because the book is absolutely fantastic.

Set in World War II, the book follows a blind girl, Marie-Laure LeBlanc, who lives in Paris. Her father creates intricate models of their neighborhood so that she can learn her way around by touch. Her father works at the Natural History Museum where Marie-Laure learns how to navigate her world, and he is also the keeper of a mysterious gem that is supposedly brings misfortune to whomever keeps it. It also follows a German boy named Werner Pfennig. He and his sister are orphans in a small coal mining town. He takes interest in radios and fixing things, eventually drawing the attention of the towns wealthy and earning him a place in an elite Nazi finishing school.

When the Nazis invade France Marie-Laure is sent to Saint-Malo to live with her reclusive uncle who, in his youth, made radio broadcasts in secret for children, radio broadcasts that Werner and his sister listened to. As the invasion progresses Marie-Laure and her uncle begin broadcasting again, all while the Nazis search France for the gem that her father has hidden.

This book is absolutely fantastic. The characters are brilliant and complex, the story is fantastic. The writing is amazing. The descriptions are geared less towards sight and more towards hearing. The result is a very unique reading experience. Everyone should check out this book. It really is amazing.