Thoughts On “All the Light We Cannot See”

I feel inadequate to review Anthony Doeer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel before I start. All the Light We Cannot See is a novel I’d recommend to anyone. I downloaded it as an audio book because we were going on a long vacation, much of it by bus. I don’t recommend doing that because you’ll ignore your fellow travelers in favor of listening to the novel’s words, which transport one from the moment.

Maybe it’s because I recently received a degree in English. Maybe it’s because I call myself a writer now. It’s the kind of book that when listening (or reading), one utters to oneself, “That is such a structurally beautiful sentence.” And then the next sentence has a metaphor that juxtaposes different visual images to convey the scene in a unique and powerful level. What I’m trying to say is that this novel is enjoyable on several dimensions, not just its compelling plot and complex characters.

The novel is long, over 500 pages, or 16 hours, if you choose to listen. It jumps from character to character and forwards and backwards in time, yet is easy to follow. But if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself going on more and longer walks and doing more housework than usual to listen to this World War II world even though bad things happen. Because stories like this occurred, and we all need to remember and never forget. 

(One more thing. The actor Zach Appelman superbly narrated the story.)