YOUth Review: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doeer

While reading All the Light We Cannot See we, the readers, experience a rollercoaster of emotions. The story follows the lives of a young French girl who takes part in the French Resistance and an orphaned German boy who is enlisted during the Second World War. Both characters have a beautiful and unique story. We follow the characters as they grow up, face struggles, learn about themselves, and when their paths cross during the bombing of St. Malo, France. The way that the book includes both present tense and past tense allows you to form deep connections with both of the characters and gain a deeper understanding of them. Marie-Laure has an amazing relationship with her father, the locksmith. He develops her sense of touch while she is learning to get through her life without sight. Werner grows up in the orphanage with his sister who holds strong anti-fascist beliefs. He is naturally brilliant at engineering, a skill that makes him who he is, and is thoroughly enjoyed by his sister, however, it ultimately leads to her belief that he is betraying her. I enjoyed the way that this book put a different perspective on the lives of the people during the war. It was an easy read as the cliffhangers maintained a steady and intriguing flow. My only dislike of this book is the lack of our understanding of Werner as he grows into who he is. We form a wonderful connection with Marie-Laure, but Werner’s deeper personality is not explained to us in his later life.

Makenna M.