Tuesday, April 18, 2017

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This book came highly recommended -- the story of two separate characters during World War II whose lives intersect at the end, a brief interlude that gives great meaning to the guilt ridden Nazi boy-man and great gratitude to the blind French girl.  It's a story of the innocence of childhood, turning into the violence of war; of moral kindness turning into moral collapse; of childhood dreams turning into harsh reality; of the goodness of many who stand up against the evil that is taking over.

I came away with a great sadness for the people of Europe whose families and cities were ripped apart, and a great sadness that the people who could have said so much to one another to help them heal--could not even speak of their memories, as they themselves never healed....I so wanted the Nazi friend of Werner's to tell Jutta what her brother meant to him, and for Marie-Laure to explain to Jutta how Werner saved her life.  How amazing that would have been to Jutta to know Werner came through the war with some goodness still in his heart.  A good story about a terrible time.

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