All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)

Why I have this book: I bought it because we are reading it for book club.

I'm not really sure what I think of the book. I know, I'm supposed to have a glowing review and be amazed by the writing!

The author definitely has a lyrical style of writing, but it almost was a bit too much for me. I found myself skimming paragraphs at times just to get through it.

I liked how the story focused mostly on the two main characters and their circle of influence, and didn't get too involved in the "bigger picture" of WWII. I am totally aware of what was going on in Europe in WWII because I've read so many books about it (and learned about it in school, of course), so it was an interesting change to read a book set in WWII that wasn't about everything that was happening and was only about individuals. I didn't mind that, although I know it's a point of outrage for some readers. (Read the one-star reviews on Amazon.) I guess if a reader didn't know a lot about WWII, it could be a problem. This book is definitely not a good overview of the war from an educational standpoint.

I found the beginning confusing, but once I got used to the author's style of jumping back and forth, it was fine. I felt the story became more intense as it went on, mostly because I was waiting to see how the characters would come together and what would happened to them. Unfortunately for me, I had already read a spoiler about one part of the story, so when it happened, I didn't feel what I maybe would have felt had I not known. In any case, I was disappointed by how things went from the time the two main characters separated. There is not a satisfying conclusion to any of the story lines, in my opinion. It just sort of… is done.

On one hand, I'm left wondering what I was supposed to learn or feel at the end, and I wonder why I don't really feel anything. I assumed this would be a book that would sit with me for a long time, but it doesn't. I felt invested in Werner and Marie-Laure, and it seems like the author failed to complete their stories. It makes them easy to forget, and that's not really fair to them.

On the other hand, I feel sad. War is sad and horrible and that point definitely comes across.

So all in all, I mostly feel depressed and disappointed and bothered all the way around...

There is some swearing, including one soldier who uses the F-word more than a few times. (But his part in the story is fairly contained in one time period.) There are plenty of war atrocities… some are more graphically described than others.