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Introduction: 

All the Light We Cannot See is a historical fiction novel by Anthony Doerr, published in 2014. The timeline is set in World War II. The book discusses and follows the lives of three characters during World War II, whose stories intersect in the French town of Saint-Malo in 1944. Marie-Laure, a blind French girl, flees Paris with her father, who hides a valuable diamond, while Werner, a German soldier, searches for illegal radios. As Allied forces bomb Saint-Malo, Marie-Laure broadcasts secret messages from her hidden attic, and Werner, trapped in a cellar, helps her escape. The novel received global recognition with several awards such as the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. 

Analysis:

The novel has a unique and interesting structure as it weaves three separate, individual stories together near the end. Marie-Laure, Werner, and von Rumple all each have their motivations and desires. However, in the topic of World War II, each character ends up searching for purpose in a world that suddenly turns to chaos, danger, and uncertainty. Marie-Laure, who becomes homeless and fatherless eventually, seeks meaning in her life as she and her great-uncle, Etienne, report illegal messages over his radio even with difficulties and obstacles during this time. Werner tries to satisfy his desire for knowledge by enrolling in the National Political Institute of Education. However, he gets so interested in the Nazi’s war machine that he struggles to differentiate right and wrong. Von Rumple, the novel’s antagonist, treats his greedy trait of the Sea of Diamonds as his reason to live. His physically ill body allows him to present the powerful forces of evil against Marie-Laure and Werner’s struggle. The way the novel goes back and forth to each character shows the strong force of time. This structure shows how the author made it so that the timeline is clear. Details in the book develop each character’s personality along with their morals. Through Marie-Laure’s actions to protect the gem, the author shows her curiosity and determination. The novel shows remorse scenes such as the untimely death of Werner. The author also slides into the global impact of World War II through Marie-Laure. 

Conclusion: All the Light We Cannot See is a historical fiction novel by Anthony Doerr, published in 2014. The stories of the three main characters are set in World War II, in France. Marie-Laure, a blind French girl who lost her father, lives with her uncle, Etienne, who hides a valuable diamond. Werner, a German soldier, gets interested in the war machine. Von Rumple, the book’s antagonist, tries to fulfill his greed for the diamond. Their stories weave together in the plot and affect each other’s stories. The book presents these three characters and their personality and morals through their actions. The novel also portrays a peculiar structure, switching back and forth between characters. The novel ultimately ends with the global impacts of World War II on the world, specifically Marie-Laure’s life.