Last week, I finished reading the book, “All the Light We Can Not See.” It is a beautiful book about life in World War 2, and how a German boy and a Jewish girl from different sides of the conflict try to be good to one another. Marie Laure, a Jewish girl, escapes with her father during the war and lives with their grandfather, Etienne. On the other side, Werner Pfennig, a German boy, wants nothing more than to join the exclusive training camp and not end up like his father, working in the mines.

The book is complicated, and the perspective jumps from Marie Laure, to Werner, to other unknown characters you will just have to keep reading to find out. My favorite aspect of the book is the unexpected surprises this book holds. For example, in most books, the main characters don’t usually die, but in this book, Werner dies by stepping on a landmine. Talk about not watching your step. Come on, you’re in a WAR ZONE! But anyway, one thing that did surprise me was how this book was actually quite poetic. It talks about World War 2, and when you start reading it, some parts, to be brutally honest, just don’t make sense. But Anthony Doerr wrote this book in such a way that it deeply saddens you, but throughout the book, teaches you that people can be good to each other, no matter where they are from. During some parts of the book, I was actually about to cry! There are some characters that are evil, but they all have reasons to be that way. Gloomy but heartwarming, this book would be good for people who should be reminded of the good in life and can handle a gritty ending.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby.