Monday, May 9, 2016

All the Light We Cannot See » Book Review

In my first draft of this review, I brashly asserted that The Book Thief, a beloved YA novel, was more of an accomplishment than All the Light We Cannot See, a recent Pulitzer Prize winner.  I compared the two books because both works feature sympathetic German characters who live during World War II.

But now, having thought it out, All the Light We Cannot See takes the concept (wonderful WWII Germans!) much farther and leagues more boldly.  The Book Thief's German characters are cool because they hide a Jewish man and don't support Hitler.  It's easy to love Liesl and her foster family. However, Doerr's protagonist, Werner, is sympathetic despite a great deal working against him.

Werner uses the Third Reich's dark influence to promote his own education and career, he is complicit in torture and murder, and he ignores his moral compass time and time again.  And yet and yet... Werner is a WILDLY sympathetic character.  Doerr was very bold to do that — to make us love a morally ambiguous character — and ultimately, All the Light We Cannot See was a more ethically complex book than The Book Thief. 

Werner's character was the best part of All the Light We Cannot See, hands down. I was riveted by his story. From his origins as a radio-cracking orphan, to his time spent in a brutal Nazi academy, and further, to his enlistment in the German army,  I was rooting for Werner.

Unfortunately, Doerr's other protagonist, Marie-Laure, left me cold. Will I get slapped for saying this?  Yes, I thought Marie-Laure's character, a blind French girl, was dreadful — overly perfect and two-dimensional. I don't want to go on a tear about it, but I wish she'd had more of Werner's style of characterization.

So overall, I thought All the Light We Cannot See was a solid read and I'll always remember Werner's character and certain, powerful moments.  But.... I just don't think the book deserved such a huge prize like the Pulitzer! Am I wrong?

9 comments:

  1. This books sounds so suspenseful and it sounds like it has a butt load of stuff going on ! I too hate two-dimensional characters because...WHAT IS THE POINT OF THEM?? They're hard to relate to and it always seems like they're there just for the fluff... Sorry for that small rant. ;) teehee!

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  2. Suspenseful is a good word for this book! And yes, I was so disappointed in the two-dimensional characterization of ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS!

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  3. I haven't read this but there seem to be few books like this that I read and completely agree with the ratings. Kind of like the movies that always get the Oscars, sometimes I question why. ;) Still, I'm glad you did like this.

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  4. I love this book. Easily one of the best ones. Marie-Laure takes struggle and hardship to a whole new level. But to have survived relatively unscathed - blind at that - while the German's are at your doorstep was a little unbelievable for me. Still. I adore her. :)

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  5. I love that you always share your true opinions when we have disparate opinions on books, Joy! Never change! <3

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  6. I did definitely like the book, although I had some bones to pick. I listened to it with my dad on a carride, though... he didn't like it as much as me!

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  7. Wow, a bold statement, to say this one was better than The Book Thief! That happens to be one of my favorite books, too, but I've heard so many amazing things about this book, too, that I'm convinced that I have to pick it up soon.

    Werner seems like a very complex and interesting character. I'm looking forward to meeting him and I hope that he lives up to my expectations!

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  8. Let me backtrack! The Book Thief is by far my favorite of the two! But this book, reasonably, was more morally complex.

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  9. This book is definitely on my 'must read' list, and I'll get to it soon. I've read other reviews on this book, and everyone has great things to say. Great character development is what I look for in a book, and I think the Anthony Doerr did a superb job.

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