Book Review: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Quote: 

"Could he, by some miracle, keep this going? Could they hide here until the war ends? Until the armies finish marching back and forth above their heads, until all they have to do is push open the door and shift some stones aside and the house has become a ruin beside the sea? Until he can hold her fingers in his palms and lead her out into the sunshine? He would walk anywhere to make it happen, bear anything; in a year or three years or ten, France and Germany would not mean what they meant now; they could leave the house and walk to a tourists' restaurant and order a simple meal together and eat it in silence, the comfortable kind of silence lovers are supposed to share."

Blurb:  Marie-Laure Leblanc lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure's reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum's most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfenning, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down resistance. Marie-Laure and Werner, from warring countries, both having lost many of the people they loved, come together in Saint-Malo, as Doerr illuminated the ways against all odds, people try to be good to one another. 

Book Tropes: 

• Dual Timelines
• War-Crossed Lives
• Bittersweet Ending
• Historical-Fiction
• World War 2 based

My Personal Views:  I am such a nerd for historical fiction—specifically war fiction, and even more specifically, World War II fiction.

How do I even describe my first five-star read of 2025? While reading the synopsis of this book, one line instantly pulled me in:

"Marie-Laure & Werner, from warring countries, both having lost many of the people they loved, come together in Saint-Malo, as Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another."

"Against all odds, people try to be good to one another." I think this line captures the essence of this book perfectly.

The story unfolds through the lives of two characters. First, Marie-Laure—a blind French girl who lives with her father in France. When the Nazis invade, they flee from Paris to Saint-Malo, where her great-uncle resides.

Second, Werner—a German boy with a love for radios and dreams of becoming an engineer, only to find himself thrust into the German army.

The novel follows how both of them grow up in different countries, surrounded by different people, and how all their life lead up to that one single, fateful moment.

The book starts off a little slow, but once you're about 20-30% in, the story becomes deeply engrossing. Set during World War II, it touches on many real events from that time, making it feel hauntingly authentic.

And, of course, the novel also delves into a painful truth—no matter how much leaders promise a bright future after war, what future truly remains? People die. Children die. Children lose their parents. Young boys are thrown into battle, forced to fight for their countries. War leaves behind only devastation—whether on the losing or winning side.

The book also highlights how the children of war never truly had a childhood. Werner and Marie-Laure are just 18 and 16 years old, yet Werner was only 15 when he was sent to a Nazi school, where he witnessed and did things that made him question everything.

Werner and Marie-Laure stole my heart, of course. The relationship between Marie-Laure and her father was also incredibly touching. And then there was Frederick—oh, sweet Frederick. What war did to souls like his. Every character in this book felt special in their own way. And the bittersweet ending? It completely wrecked me.

While heartbreaking, I understand why Doerr chose to end the story this way—because there were probably thousands, if not millions, of people just like Marie-Laure and Werner who never got their happy ending. That’s what makes it feel so real.

This was also the first time I read a novel that included a German soldier’s perspective, which added an entirely new dimension to the story.

Books like these make you reflect on all the people who were forced into war because of one man who believed he was superior to everyone else. This makes you think about the countless brave souls who sacrificed their lives. How utterly tragic it all was.

Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Until the next read,

Aditi