All The Light We Cannot See

All The Light We Cannot See is about blind French girl, Marie-Laure LeBlanc, who takes refuge in her great-uncle's house in Saint-Malo after Paris is invaded by Nazi Germany and A German boy, Werner Pfennig, who is accepted into a military school because of his skills in radio technology, that the Germans would make use of during World War II.

I think this book is suitable from the age of 15 onwards, because the book is a little hard to follow as it covers the experiences of many characters, including the main characters Marie and Werner. Yet at the same time, the multiple points of view makes the book even more immersive. For me, I enjoyed Marie's perspective the most. Despite being blind, she can still “see” and use her skills that she has adapted to her advantage. I highly recommend this book to someone that wants to experience an emotional roller coaster. While most books focus on one genre, this book has a bit of everything: history, fantasy, romance. There are moments in this book where it makes you smile, and there are moments that make you cry too.

In the book, there were both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. The way the author structured the book is very different from how other books are structured. In All The Light We Cannot See, there are chapters spanning over many pages, but at the same time, there are also a number of chapters that take up only a page or two. This makes me, at times, want to close the book, but at the same time stay up late into the night reading page after page. But best of all, it does not give a clear ending for a single character, creating a cliffhanger which keeps me up at night wondering, “What happened to...? What if...?”

Another reason why I like this book is because it delivers a great meaning. “Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever,” Anthony Doerr, the author, writes in this story. In this book, another character named Frederick, tells Werner, “Your problem is that you still believe you own your life.” Contrary to what Frederick said, the author emphasizes the power of individuals to choose their own path despite the world around them. Despite being blind, Marie decides to put her other skills to use instead of giving up. This book is also not like your typical World War II story; it delves into identity, family, free will, and endurance.

Marie's blindness allowed the author to zoom in closely on her life, looking at intricate details using some amazing and beautiful imagery, which makes the story plot more interesting. I could picture the things described in my mind and I really love when a book does that. The author juxtaposed the storylines of Werner and Marie. It was interesting to read a perspective from both sides of the story. What amazed me was that despite the perspectives of the story being in different time frames, it all came together in the end to create a great ending.

All in all, I would recommend this book to you. This book is relatable. It does not matter how old you are, because I am sure the message the author gave from this book will eventually make an influence in your life just like it has impacted mine.

Juliette Wong

Secondary 2 Justice

2025