All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know a book is good when you're so invested in the characters and story that you have to close the pages and just take a moment to absorb what is happening. "All the Light We Cannot See" is wonderful, and I, over and over again, had to close it to take a breath and steel myself for what was to come. The story is tragic and beautiful and full of simple, vivid detail that suck you in so deeply that you want to sit alongside Werner and his sister as they listen in rapt attention to the Frenchman's stories on the radio or hold Marie-Laure's as she walks over cobblestoned streets to make sure she doesn't fall on her way to the bakery.

I, like many others, did not love the ending, but I loved the book overall. I read this overlooking the ocean on my honeymoon in Maui. I kept looking to my new husband and whispering my concerns about what was about to happen in the story. "The Nazi's are about to march into Paris." "I think they're going to make Werner a soldier...." He'd smile and listen to his overly invested wife and try to remind me that the characters weren't real. Then repeatedly my hushed voice would rise and say something to the effect of "but there were people like them and it's just so sad...." We'd return quickly to "I love you's and "I'm so glad I married you", but I realized when I finished the book how good it had been simply because it had held my attention so completely even with my handsome new husband by my side. Read it - definitely the best book I have read this year. As always, happy reading!