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?