All The Light We Cannot See




“When I lost my sight, Werner, people said I was brave. When my father left, people said I was brave. But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don’t you do the same?”

That's Marie Laure for you. One of our protagonists. She's plainly a victim of her circumstances. At a young age, she loses her eyesight. Her father is her world. He's a gentle soul whose world revolves around "ma cherie" as he fondly calls his daughter. He builds for her a safe haven, one where her eyesight can't be a deterrence to her. 

All the light we cannot see tells us the story of a father & a daughter, a brother & a sister and two friends, all of these relations afflicted by one single tyrant - the war. It's a story of love, trust & loyalty. Of hope amid darkness and belief amid hopelessness. Above all of this, it's a story of survival. 

It's the offset of World War - II, David LeBlanc is forced to flee his home in Paris to safeguard his blind daughter, Marie Laure. The director of the museum, where he used to work as a locksmith, has sent him off with a secret. Marie Laure and her father escape Paris and land in Saint Malo at her uncle's house where she finds her second home in her uncle and his long-time housemaid Madame Manace. Together they live as one small family until it's Saint Malo's turn to be torn by the war.

On the other hand, somewhere in Germany, Werner lives in a care home with his sister Jutta. Werner's talent for engineering helps him escape the life of mining that he was doomed for. With shiny-eyes and child-like excitement he leaves behind his sister with promises of letters and heads for Schulforta, a military academy. Little does he know what's in store for him. He's forced to endure brutality, injustice and loss of a friend at the institute and is ultimately sent off to the front. Left with no other choice, he works towards killing the enemies but continues to be haunted by the act. 

At the centre of it all we have the secret that David ran off with, the secret that Marie Laure now protects and the thread with which it intertwines the lives of Marie Laure & Werner. 

Anthony Doerr's description of war in this novel is poetic. It's as if he cherry-picks every single word and romances it to fill it with a kind of delicacy and beauty that only love has the capability to induce. In his own language from the book - he words a world with each letter he picks.

Like a moth sucked in by the flame, I was awed by the poetic style of the story. The way Anthony Doerr manages to establish a connect between the reader and the characters in the story is effortless. I did, however, find the last few chapters a bit of a drag and thought that they could've been shortened. When I finally learn about Marie Laure & Werner's post-war life, all I wanted was to soak it all in but the fact that the story was still left didn't let me do that. 

Overall, I'd give this book 3 out of 5. For my next read I've picked up a fitness guide by the famous nutritionist Rujuta Diwaker. Although I've been very consistent with my Yoga practice all through the lockdown and have been maintaining a fairly healthy diet, I had always wanted to make more informed decisions when it comes to my lifestyle. I chanced upon this book called "Don't lose your mind, lose your weight" online and decided to give it a shot. 

It should be a quick read considering it's not a fat book(true to its purpose). I'm not sure if I'd post a review for this one but I'm looking forward to be a wiser me with regards to my food choices once I'm done reading this book.

Until then, 

Happy reading!


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