All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is one of those books that you start trying to read slower because you don't want it to end. The writing is really what makes this book. It reminded me a lot of The Book Thief. All the Light We Cannot See tells the story of two young people growing up during World War II.

Marie-Laure lives in Paris with her father right near the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of all the locks of the museum. At the age of six, Marie-Laure goes blind, inspiring her father to build an exact miniature replica of their entire neighborhood. Marie-Laure memorizes it and learns to find her way around town just by touch. She knows exactly how many storm drains to count to get her from the museum back to her house. When Marie-Laure is twelve, the Nazis occupied Paris and Marie-Laure and her father fled to Saint-Malo to live with her great-uncle who hasn't left his giant house in years. Her father brought with him the most valuable and dangerous jewel that the museum had housed. When Marie-Laure's father is captured and taken to a camp, she is left in the house alone with her reclusive great-uncle wondering and worrying about what is going on outside as the Nazis continue to take over.

Werner is an orphan with a great talent for building and fixing radios which lands him a spot at the academy for Hitler Youth and eventually a position tracking the resistance. Werner struggles with his own actions as he moves through the war. His job finally leads him to Saint-Malo where his path crosses with Marie-Laure.

This book takes a fantastic new look at the war, telling it through the eyes of two young kids. I loved that one of the characters was blind because it added a new depth to the story. Trying to hide from German soldiers without actually being able to see them or their whereabouts was incredibly nerve-wracking. Beautifully written and impossible to put down, I highly recommend this book to all!