I’ve made mention of the fact that my preferred genre of books to read is fiction, but in the last couple of years, I’ve developed a sincere appreciation for historical fiction. I can thank Kristin Hannah for this, seeing as the first historical fiction text I ever read was The Nightingale, and if you haven’t read it, please do so. It will stay with you, arguably, for the rest of your life.
I’ve read more historical fiction in the past few years than I ever have, and one text I’ve been wanting to read for a while now is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. The book is the recipient of a few different awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.
All the Light We Cannot See takes place during the Second World War, and the setting is sort of split between France and Germany, with two of the book’s main characters residing in either – Marie-Laure is in France, and Werner is in Germany. Marie-Laure loses her vision at a very young age and is raised by her father, who happens to be the chief locksmith at the Paris Museum of Natural History. Werner is an orphan, and he and his sister reside in an orphanage in Germany. The story follows both of them, separately, with Marie having a fascination for marine life and Werner being incredibly gifted with both science and mathematics.
I don’t wish to spoil anything, but I suspect this book will have a similar effect on me as The Nightingale did. Doerr’s writing is incredibly visual, and his storytelling ability is fantastic. This book is, without a doubt, a read, and I look forward to exploring more historical fiction in time, although Hannah and Doerr have set an incredibly high standard.
ontheedgeofeverything 