“Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.” — Anthony Doerr, “All the Light We Cannot See”
The book begins with a blind 12-year-old girl by the name of Marie-Laure LeBlanc. The Nazis have arrived in Paris, causing young Marie-Laure and her father, who works at the Museum of Natural History, to flee. As they leave for the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s great-uncle lives, they take with them the museum’s most dangerous and treasured jewel.
Meanwhile, in Germany, an orphan boy by the name of Werner Pfennig grows up with his sister. He becomes fascinated with an old radio and learns how to take it apart and put it back together. The radio brings news of faraway places, stories of war-stricken towns and other endless fantasies that Werner could have never imagined. As Werner develops expert skills in disassembling and reassembling technology, he is enlisted to track down the resistance using his unique skill set.
Marie-Laure hasn’t had an easy life and neither has Werner. However, the struggles they faced growing up are nothing compared to what awaits them. Thrown into battle, they must pick which side of history they want to be on. What’s more important: surviving or doing what’s right?
Marie-Laure and Werner come together in Saint-Malo as author Anthony Doerr twists and winds their stories together. Two opposing countries, two children lost in the horrifying trials of war. As Marie-Laure and Werner face the impending doom of death, there is a light that they cannot see creeping around the corner.
